In some countries, small town-centre shops are going out of business because people tend to drive to large out-of-town stores. As a result, people without cars have limited access to out-of-town stores, and it may result in an increase in the use of cars. Do you think the disadvantages of this change outweigh its advantages?

Shopping patterns have been drastically changing in recent years, with the emergence of big out-of-town

shops

undermining small

town-center

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town-centre

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ones and giving rise to the increasing use of cars.

While

such

a development is to a certain extent advantageous to consumers and retailers, I believe it does more harm than good

due to

its negative impacts on small

shops

,

people

who do not have cars, and the environment. The development of large shopping malls on the outskirts indeed offers shoppers and retailers some advantages. Large out-of-town stores benefiting from economies of scale have better prices and a wider array of commodities for consumers to choose from.

Additionally

, large

shops

often come with big parking spaces and leisure facilities

such

as restaurants, bowling alleys, and cinemas, which may provide a better shopping experience.

As a result

, shoppers end up buying more, and retailers gain huge profits from growing consumerism.

Nevertheless

, I believe the aforementioned advantages of

such

a trend pale into insignificance when compared with its tremendous disadvantages. One clear drawback of

this

phenomenon is that big

shops

sited on the outskirts may drive small ones to the brink of closure, thereby rendering

people

working for those

shops

unemployed.

This

is particularly the case with traditional, small-scale businesses that are unable to compete against big transnational corporations.

Moreover

,

this

shopping pattern is geared towards

people

with cars, so to some extent, it excludes certain underprivileged groups of

people

who do not own ones. Those large out-of-town shopping

centers

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centres

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also

bring in its wake increased traffic congestion in the suburbs, especially at the weekends, and high emissions from influxes of vehicles

traveling

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travelling

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long distances. In conclusion, my firm conviction is that

whereas

consumers and shop owners may reap some benefits from the growth of out-of-town shopping malls,

this

trend is more likely to bring negative consequences.