IELTS Writing Task 2: Supermarkets and Small Shops
Many large supermarkets are being built today while the number of small shops is decreasing.
Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?
The increasing number of large supermarkets has called into question their value for locals relative to smaller shops. In my opinion, though supermarkets are more convenient, local people benefit more from supporting their community rather than large conglomerates.
The obvious benefits to supermarkets relates to their convenience. They allow consumers to select from a wide variety of products that are consistently available, clearly labelled, fresh, and reasonably priced, depending on the supermarket in question. This contrasts with local shops which are necessarily smaller and therefore cannot stock as many products. These smaller stores are also more likely to run out of goods and charge higher prices. A supermarket can typically operate on smaller profit margins because of the volume of shoppers, which then allows them to offer discounts and special deals. All these factors combine to explain the inevitable dominance of large chain supermarkets over local retailers.
Regardless, by contributing to small shops, consumers fund those in their immediate community and deprive large companies of outsized profits. The money spent at a supermarket barely trickles down to the local area, through subsistence wages for employees, while the majority of the profits go to distant corporate executives and shareholders. Over time, these large companies have amassed considerable capital, as in the case of a company like Walmart, and now generate disproportionately large sums of money for a handful of individuals while paying minimum wage to most workers and leveraging their distribution power to slash rates with their suppliers. In effect, this means that the people producing and selling the food are not reaping the rewards of their efforts.
In conclusion, the modern conveniences of supermarkets do not outweigh their pernicious economic impact. Buying from a local shop is one way to better disperse power within a community.
VOCABULARY
- increasing number becoming more common
- called into question questioned, dubious
- value importance
- locals relative to people who live around there related to
- convenient easy
- benefit more more advantageous
- supporting their community help the local area
- large conglomerates big companies
- relates to has to do with
- convenience ease
- select from a wide variety choose from a lot of
- consistently available can be found at any time
- clearly labelled priced, clear ingredients
- fresh not old
- reasonably priced not too expensive
- depending on hinging on
- in question being discussed
- contrasts differences
- necessarily smaller must be not as large
- stock products placed on shelves
- more likely probably will happen
- run out not have anymore
- goods products
- charge higher prices foods cost more
- operate stay open
- smaller profit margins making less money per product
- volume of shoppers number of customers
- offer discounts coupons, reduced prices
- special deals discounts
- factors combine elements add up to
- explain show the reason how
- inevitable dominance will be in control
- large chain supermarkets big supermarkets owned by companies
- local retailers neighborhood shops
- regardless nonetheless
- contributing to adding to
- fund give money to
- immediate community nearby area
- deprive take away from
- outsized profits disproportionate money
- barely trickles down doesn’t reach many people
- local area local community
- subsistence wages just enough money to survive
- majority most
- distant corporate executives far away rich guys
- shareholders people invested in the company
- over time over a long period
- amassed considerable capital accumulated a lot of money
- Walmart a big supermarket/department store in America
- generate disproportionately large sums make too much money
- handful of some
- paying minimum wage low salaries
- leveraging their distribution power exploiting their control of sales
- slash rates reduce prices
- suppliers people/companies that sell to supermarkets
- in effect overall
- reaping the rewards get the benefits
- efforts attempts
- outweigh stronger than
- pernicious economic impact bad for the economy
- better disperse spread out better
- within a community in a local area
