It could be challenging for tiny local markets to be on the market with big supermarkets and shops operating through the internet. This essay adresses such questions as what effect does this situation have on local communities, and what steps could be taken to improve it.
First, it is difficult for small local shops to compete with huge corporations, as they have less resources. Regarding local communities, they can struggle if there are less local places to buy food. This is due to the fact, that well-established supermarkets often limit the amount of goods they sell. For instance, by selling only foodstuffs that face high demand. Thus, special foods that are important for local communities can be in deficit. For example, local Vietnamese communities in Moscow often need to go to local shops in order to buy Vietnamese food. If there were no local places with products, it would be hard for them to buy the desired foodstuffs.
This situation could be improved, if the governments would subsidise small local shops. If that happens, the existance of small food-sellers will become easier. They would have enough money to advertise themselves, which could potentially lead to an increased competition with well-established chain supermarkets, and those offering products online. Moreover, not only local communities would benefit in this scenario. All people that consume foodstuffs would get better products, as increased competition usually leads to better quality of the produced goods. For example, there are several supermarket chains in Berlin, and each of them tries to offer better products, along with reducing prices. That is an effect of a competitive environment.
Finally, it is important to note that local communities could struggle with food choice, if there are problems with amount of local shops in the area. This situation could be improved by subsidising those shops, which will lead to more competition between product distributors.