In recent years, many small local shops have closed because customers travel to large shopping centres or malls to do their shopping. Is this a positive or a negative development?

Nowadays, an increasing number of small local shops are closing due to the fact that customers prefer shopping in large shopping centres

instead

. I believe it is a negative development as it is detrimental to local people for many reasons. Local shops provide employment opportunities for many local people and closing them means increasing unemployment rates.

For instance

, many families have run these small shops for years, yet they are forced to close due to customers not buying from them. As a consequence, these families might run into debt and face poverty since their shops are their sole income. It is detrimental to local people when affordable local shops close. Countless individuals cannot afford to buy from malls since they are more expensive than small shops due to their high rental prices.

As a result

, these individuals are threatened as they are not able to buy what they need from the closest malls and are forced to travel to distant affordable shops, which is costly since petrol prices are on the rise.

Finally

, large shopping centres are always crowded,

as a result

, their air is polluted and there is a high chance of spreading infections.

This

is especially dangerous for people with weak immune systems,

such

as elders and children, as well as people suffering from respiratory diseases.

Furthermore

, when there is an epidemic, people cannot shop in these large malls as it becomes extremely dangerous and polluted and,

consequently

, they are forced to look for small local shops near them. In conclusion, closing small shops in local areas has severe consequences as it increases unemployment, harms people who cannot afford to shop in large malls, and exposes mall visitors to pollution and infections.