Competition Breeds Success!

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There’s this new supermarket that just opened up in my area, and I’ve been so happy about it. This isn’t the first supermarket, of course. There are dozens of others scattered around my area, however, they are all a bit too far for us, and patronizing them would require us to either trek long distances or use public transportation.

There was only one that was close, but it’s located on the other side of the major road, which means that for us to access it, we usually have to cross the busy road. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course. For a long time, these guys have been the sole supermarket within this radius, and as a result, they controlled all the customers. Whenever people needed a quick buy, they went there.

However, it was clear that being the sole supermarket in the area began to get into their heads because they began to mess up in a big way. One of the most frustrating things that happened there was their air conditioners. I don’t know if they were turning it off to save power costs, or if all of them were getting spoiled at the same time. However, there are always periods when they’re not working. And even when they work, you barely feel their effect.

Can you imagine sweating profusely while shopping? The building was designed to be ventilated strictly by air conditioners, so without them, there’s no way for natural air to be sufficient. The whole place would be so hot, and there are no fans at all. No matter how much you complain as a customer, nothing is done. But then, they were the only ones around, so we didn’t really have a choice.

Another issue was always the lack of some products. One of the things I dislike is coming to a supermarket and seeing empty shelves. As in, even if you don’t have a product, you should have substitutes that can stand in for that product. And also, they don’t take feedback. You would ask for something today, and if they don’t have it, they could promise to have it by next week. When that week rolls around, it would be the same story: no product.

It’s always frustrating going for something over and over, and they keep telling you to come back tomorrow. It’ll make you think they’re not serious at all. However, to their credit, their goods are a bit cheaper, even more than some petty traders in the area. Which is why many people patronize them. And despite all their mess-ups, people keep going back to them.

But then, this past weekend, I noticed that directly opposite this supermarket, on our side of the major road, a new one had opened! And just like that, competition had been introduced. I’ve not patronized the newcomers yet, but I know that I’ll do that either later today or by tomorrow when I want to get something. It’ll be easy to go there without having to cross the major road, and I’m sure that by the time these new guys steal all the customers, the other supermarket will be forced to step up its game.

As it stands, I’m sure that if one supermarket does rubbish, nothing would stop the customer from crossing over to the other side and patronizing them. It would be a constant tug-of-war. And whoever snoozes might end up losing the most in the long run.

So, this is good news. I’m hoping that more supermarkets will come, so that competition will tighten even more. We also need more restaurants and cinemas, because these guys are all moving mad. When there is strict competition, everyone would be motivated to be on their best behavior at all times. Because at this point, it’s simply too much!

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_{Thank you for reading. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below, I would love to know what you’re thinking. Till we meet in the next post.}

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_{N.B: All images used in this post are mine. The thumbnail was designed using Canva.}

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