Nowadays, large shopping centers and supermarkets are more common than small local shops. Is this a negative or positive development? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Supermarkets and shopping centers have gained immense popularity over the past few decades due to a range of conveniences they offer. I firmly believe this phenomenon is a positive one. To begin with, shopping malls and supermarkets provide consumers with a wide range of goods and products. This is particularly convenient to shoppers as they can compare between various brands before purchasing items that best suit their needs, while this satisfaction can hardly be achieved when they shop at smaller stores. Shopping in big complexes could also act as an efficient time-saver for busy modern shoppers as they could obtain almost everything they need under one roof and benefit from a lower chance of low stock. Furthermore, the quality of products in supermarkets and shopping malls is trustworthy and superior to those from traditional outlets. It is a given fact that these giant stores only go into partnership with the suppliers who can provide products of premium quality and at a reasonable price. This requires manufacturers to make every effort to innovate their production lines and enhance their product quality in order to compete against other rivals to attract more customers. This would then benefit the end users. Last but not least, large shopping center accommodates various service-oriented features and activities other than merely retailing goods. To be more specific, consumers can enjoy children’s playground, virtual reality games or movies in incorporated cineplexes. This would result in a satisfying shopping experience, thus obtaining an increase in returning visits. To conclude, since supermarkets offer shoppers with reasonably-priced and high quality products with wonderful experiences, I believe the prevalence of supermarkets is a positive development.