Argue Against the Growing Number of Supermarkets and How They Are Linked to Community Breakdown

¶ … British community, the rapid growth of supermarket has been a fact of life for more or less the last thirty years. This unchecked growth has been attributed to a variety of factors, including business enterprise coupled with laissez-faire planning and competition policies. Furthermore supermarkets have currently grown to affect every area of British life. Economic, social, environmental and cultural issues are for example under investigation when it comes to the possibly detrimental effects of large supermarkets on the British community. There are several problems that are then connected with rapid supermarket growth. The awareness of theses is growing, as can be seen in a variety of news releases and the like. The community is beginning to recognize that, along with the many benefits brought about by supermarket chains, there are also several detriments. These include elements such as unrestrained growth and its deterrent effects on sustainable development. While supermarkets then claim to be community oriented, their arguments hold little water over the concrete evidence seen within the community. Supermarkets offer their own carefully drawn up community-focused policies in order to substantiate their claims. The strength of such claims is however undermined by issues of community and supplier breakdown.

The rapid growth of supermarket chains in the UK has led to a breakdown within the community on a variety of levels. One of these is a sensation of general rootlessness by the impersonal setting and uniformity of the supermarket environment. There is no sense of community identity. Another issue greatly affected by the rapid growth of supermarkets in the UK is employment and supplier chains. Vast supermarket chains have little sympathy for individual suppliers or employees. The focus is basically upon as much profit as possible, regardless of who is trampled in the process. This unprecedented focus on profit and growth has resulted in several suppliers and smaller businesses going out of business. Coupled with this is the fact that, despite their claim to fair trade, supermarkets have monopolized the grocery market to the point where few opportunities exist for new entrants or diversification. The supermarket growth paradigm within the UK therefore affects more than just community identity. It also affects the very basis upon which the livelihood of citizens is built.

There are however also positive aspects regarding supermarkets that must be considered. There is for example greater infrastructure and security when utilizing supermarket facilities. With security cameras and officers throughout the supermarket, shoppers can enjoy a greater feeling of safety and security than may be the case in a corner shop. Furthermore, were supermarkets to honor the codes of conduct set for them, the community feeling of well-being and economic prosperity need not be lost. Flea markets could for example be coupled with and funded by supermarkets in order to provide farmers and corner shop owners with an opportunity to enhance their own prosperity.