Small shops vs. Supermarkets

In the past few years countless small shops hale been forced to close because of the changes in public shopping habits and the increasing popularity of supermarkets. But do the benefits of supermarkets really outweigh those of small local shops? We cannot deny that supermarkets do have certain advantages. Firstly they provide a wide variety of goods at unbeatably low prices. Furthermore they create jobs for a greate number of people thus helping to reduce unemployment. In addition to this they are ideal for those shoppers who do not have time to visit more than one shop in order to do their weekly shopping. On the other hand the small local shop offers certain benefits that supermarkets will never be able to offer their customers. Due to their size small shops fit into residential areas easily making them more convenient in the case of ‘emergency’ shopping. Moreover they generally stay open later than supermarkets. Finally supermarkets will never be able to beat your local shopkeeper when it comes to friendly service.