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

These days, it is believed by many that the tendency of travelling to large shopping malls has yielded the closure of small domestic

stores

. I firmly believe that

such

a trend has detrimental impacts on

consumers

and business owners for a number of reasons. The first and

also

the most crucial demerit relates to financial predicaments. When the overwhelming majority of

consumers

opt for purchasing from large shops, limited-income

stores

would definitely become overwhelmed with debts

as a result

of the reduction in purchasing power and profit margins in these developing

stores

. In Egypt,

for instance

, the increasing popularity of universal brand names

such

as US Polo and Zara has yielded the termination of many local

stores

in the countryside which has jeopardized the financial status of many Egyptian families. One

further

drawback is the surged pressure on large purchasing centres

due to

the massive departure of

consumers

to

such

big brands. They would,

therefore

, suffer from the shortage of consumer goods in specific areas which would probably cause the increase in prices of essential products

as a result

of the increasing demand.

Further

and more concerning, though, is the devastation of some domestic products.

This

is mainly

due to

the fact that a substantial proportion of domestic products are sold by small retailers with a limited budget who cannot afford the fierce competition with large brand names which are attempting to imitate national commodities. International Chinese firms,

for example

, have been tempting

consumers

to purchase Egyptian clay pots and offering them in large fancy

stores

.

Accordingly

, the end of the activity of local shops could gradually threaten the cultural identity of a country.

In addition

to

this

, the attraction of more

consumers

to purchase from large shopping centres may induce consumerism

due to

the wide variety and availability of high-quality goods

along with

discounts and offers which are aimed mainly at attracting more clients. An eminent example of

this

is the impact of Black Fridays in international shopping centres which

lure

Correct subject-verb agreement

lures

show examples

shoppers to overestimate their needs and pay for unnecessary goods . In conclusion, I am convinced that the threats which have resulted from purchasing mainly from large shops tip the scale towards disadvantages.

Subsequently

, authorities ought to financially subsidise developing projects in order to maintain countries' cultural identity.