Outline_the_View_Big_Supermarkets_Both_Provide_and_Limit_Choice.

Outline the view that big supermarkets both provide and limit choice. Everyone uses the big supermarkets to do their weekly shop, enticed in by the prices they can offer and the vast array of items you can buy under one roof. Do any of us know the real effect these big supermarkets are having on the local high streets and small traders' If you drive through any town, city or village you are bound to see the big signs of the supermarkets, whether it’s the large superstores or the local stores we can’t miss the big supermarkets from encroaching in to our lives. If we like it or not it is hard to stop this happening and we all now need and rely on these supermarkets to be there with their convenient opening hours and unbeatable prices. Sometimes it’s hard to see what we would do without these shops so local to us. Everybody knows the big main supermarkets (Tesco, Sainsbury, Morrison and ASDA) you can’t miss them whether it’s in your local village or town, petrol stations or on the industrial estates, they are everywhere but what do these businesses bring and take from the social order in our lives. The press and media never seem to have a good word to say about them how they take away and destroy local traders and rip of the consumers. I am going to start at looking at the pro supermarket. The main points I am going to look at are * What do supermarkets give back to society' * Would they have power without the consumers' * How does the consumer benefit from the supermarkets' There is no denying the power and domination or the large supermarkets with their control of the high streets and the grocery market. With this power good is also done by the supermarkets. A good example is from an article by Jon Walker. (Petersfield post 03/12 pg. 5) The local Tesco store has just brought land from the senior school that boarders the supermarket to extend the store by 18,000 square feet. The Tesco Company has paid £1m for this land; with this money the school has been able to improve their school facilities mainly with a brand new all-weather football pitch with astroturf. This in turn will bring revenue into the school by enabling them to hire the sport facilities out to the public. You can argue the power of Tesco’s here, that they are able to make a deal to buy school land to profit themselves but this also makes a massive difference to the education at this school with the money they are able to bring in to further the future of the school and its pupils. In turn this was also create more employment for the local town which is struggling to create work for the many unemployed that live in the area. Similarly to the above argument the benefits of Tesco’s can also be seen in Linwood Scotland. (Making social lives, chapter 2. A tale of two superstores) With the opening of a superstore it will bring new life to this town which was once the heart of Scotland’s car industry now it is a community that is struggling with unemployment and economically run-down. With the transformation that Tesco’s are proposing it will give a new lease of life to a deprived town. It will also give the town a boost of local employment and local skills. More generally to act as a catalyst for the regeneration of the area by attracting new shops, bars and restaurants to the plaza. Political and local view is in favour of this development and how can it not be, this will create mass employment to the area and will bring people and money in to the town which will reignite the industry of the town. The idea of the superstores taking over the world maybe correct with the big four having over 11,300 stores over the world, but with every opening of a new store it creates employment not just in store but for delivery drivers, packers and suppliers and the higher the demand is for stores creates a higher demand for products. The power of the supermarkets can only come with the demand of the consumer as the saying says “supply and demand”. Everyone needs to do the weekly shop and the supermarkets provide for us to do this in an easy and cost effective way. Due to their buying power they can offer the consumer products at a discounted price that local and smaller stores are not able to provide. In addition to this we can argue that the larger supermarkets have limited our choice of where to shop and because of their control of the grocery market other retailers cannot compete with their prices. With many for the consumer population on a budget due to low wages and lack of employment they have to shop where they can get the products cheap and are given more option. More and more shops are closing down on the high street with plenty for rent sign in the windows. With the recession hitting the UK this could be a big reason for the destruction of the high street. The loss of many jobs it has made people cut back on their consumer spending which has seen the rise in budget/value shopping which has made a big impact on the sales from the supermarket. So the consumer could also be blamed for the power the supermarket has, because without the customer demand there would be no supermarket. The high demand for cheaper shopping makes it easier for the supermarkets to triumph over the local business on the high street. There’s no denying the supermarket use their power in a way that the local shops can’t compete with the one stop shop (i.e. the big four supermarkets) and their prices that seduces customer in to their shops. Many supermarkets put on a free bus services for their customers so it much easier from the consumer to shop at their supermarkets. In my opinion supermarkets create a positive sum game that both sides may gain at some extent. With the arrival of new supermarket comes much needed employment and business. This shows that the economy gains as well as the supermarket. Everyone likes a bargain and the supermarkets can give this. In a time when there’s an economic down turn the big supermarkets are contributing to the economy, by creating work for many and bring much needed growth in the business sector. A business will always triumph over its consumer as that is business. Supermarkets may abuse their power that many individuals and group may disagree with but if the bigger picture is looked at it can be seen that many people benefit from the power and growth of the supermarkets.