Introduction
Supermarkets dominate people’s conventional food sources. In supermarkets, processed foods outsell raw foods. Many variables impact a society’s consumption and interaction with supermarket companies. Supermarkets boost daily calorie availability since calories are cheaper. Supermarkets promote better eating. According to academics, consumption is essential to everyday life, identity, and social order (Brewer & Porter, 2013). Sociologists relate it to social class, identity, group membership, age, and stratification because of its influence on modern society. Consumption influences daily lives, attitudes, expectations, behaviors, individual and communal relationships, and global experiences (Brewer & Porter, 2013). Hong Kong has retail chains like any other metropolis. Wellcome and ParknShop are Hong Kong’s two largest grocery chains, letting you roam freely. Both provide online shopping and delivery in certain places, which is helpful for weekly shopping and bulky items. This paper will focus on the conflict theory to identify the advantages and disadvantages of supermarket chains to society, individuals, and the local economy of Hong Kong.
Theoretical Approach
In sociological terms, one could say that modern cultural reflexivity is governed by consumption. This would mean that the majority of the things that the majority of people think about in daily existence, whether they pertain to the construction of their selves, the maintenance of relationships, or the accomplishment of their instrumental goals, involve them making choices about things that they might consume. The development of diversified consumer culture may be attributed to a significant number of different factors. The conflict theory is one example of such an approach. As a result of the research done by Warde (2014), the normalization of consumerism revolves around shifts in the social class structure. Fundamentally, these theorists believe that the rise in consumption can be traced back to the rise of the so-called “new middle classes.” This, in turn, is attributed to the fact that technological advancements and societal shifts have resulted in a growth in the number of individuals working in fields such as the media.
A modern conflict theory analysis of consumption examines how inequities rooted in racism, gender inequalities, and wealth disparities impact people’s capacity to purchase what they need and desire. It also examines disparities in credit card distribution and access to consuming cathedrals such as supermarket chains (Storey, 2017). However, Thorstein Veblen was one of the early social theorists to analyze the link between social class and purchasing habits. In his thesis, Veblen depicted early industrialists as indulging in conspicuous consumption, which he defined as the continual public display of one’s riches and position via purchases of luxury homes, clothes, automobiles, and other consumer items (Storey, 2017). Based on Veblen, the leisure lifestyle of the upper classes seldom affords them sufficient opportunity to flaunt their riches and social standing (Storey, 2017). In order to garner public acclaim, the rich often indulge in conspicuous and wasteful spending and leisure activities.
As Spaargaren (2011) notes; however, some of today’s wealthiest individuals engage in covert consumption, perhaps to preserve a low public profile or out of concern for their safety. According to modern culture, conspicuous consumerism has grown increasingly acceptable at all levels of income. Some middle and lower-income people and families utilize the lives of the wealthy in their communities as a point of reference. Consequently, many families rely on credit to get the products and services they want or that give them an advantage over their peers (Spaargaren, 2011). Others, though, may choose not to splurge, instead attempting to alter their life and encourage others to do the same. Living in a culture that overemphasizes consumerism is especially challenging for low-income groups (Spaargaren, 2011). Many low-income persons find it difficult to resist the allure of materialism. However, when there is no money, emotions of scarcity, failure in life, and intense emotional suffering ensue. Poverty is a severe social disadvantage in a society where consumption is highly valued. According to the conflict theory, the economic benefits of the higher classes often come at the price of individuals in the lower classes, who might have struggled, often unsuccessfully, to provide food, clothes, and shelter for themselves and their children.
Advantages of Supermarket Chains
Supermarkets impact the local economy by improving the local community’s economic health. Supermarket chains may boost the economic well-being and general health of communities and help revitalize failing commercial districts (Reardon et al., 2012). They serve as economic cornerstones for a town by attracting companies that offer related products and services, such as banks, clinics, and hotels, as well as creating foot traffic. In addition to providing job opportunities, supermarket chains increase or maintain the value of nearby homes, generate local tax revenues, provide workforce training and development opportunities, and encourage consumers to spend more money in the local economy as a result of the store’s creation of new jobs and the additional spending opportunities that result from those jobs. Supermarket chains that engage in supplemental benefits programs channel government monies into local economies, resulting in both localized economic benefits for the supermarkets and broader economic stimulation in the surrounding communities. The two leading supermarket chains in Hong Kong contribute to the majority of the revenue in the retail industry in Hong Kong, which impacts the overall economy of the region.
Supermarket chains also have significant advantages for the community. Supermarket chains protect the community and the other smaller businesses in the community. By transforming themselves into community centers and providing consumers with access to public services, charities, and other community organizations, supermarkets may help mitigate the negative effects of declining living standards and reductions in expenditure by local governments (Reardon et al., 2012). Donations to festivals, food pantries, and even sports teams are some of the ways that supermarket corporations support their local communities efforts. Supermarket chains also impact the community by providing opportunities for charitable organizations to recruit volunteers near the busiest retail entrances and help local entrepreneurs get their businesses off the ground by providing mentorship or connecting them with local networking opportunities.
Supermarket chains have diverse advantages for individuals. In most cases, the costs of goods may be found to be somewhat reasonable in supermarkets. Customers have the opportunity to make their selections of groceries at the store. Customers are allowed greater leeway in making their product selections, which ultimately results in higher levels of consumer satisfaction. Customers who do not like the involvement of retailers are the best candidates for this kind of liberty. Moreover, individuals benefit from having access to a wide range of products that are complementary to each other. In Hong, in particular, as the country is a huge importer of processed goods, consumers are treated to various products.
Disadvantages of Supermarket Chains
Despite the numerous advantages, supermarket chains have their disadvantages. First, supermarkets affect the local economy negatively through the deterioration of community character, a decline in the local economy, and a decline in the quality of cultural and civic life (Lu & Reardon, 2018). In addition, consolidation has resulted in less competition, which may be detrimental to customers in the long run. Large chain businesses are notorious for paying salaries that are not even close to being considered livable and displacing local labor. Compared to local businesses, which revert back over half of their profits to the community in employment, local expenditure, and charitable giving, large chain stores do not even give back a third of their earnings to the community makes them money in the first place.
When it comes to individuals, some of the advantages of supermarket chains become a disadvantage. For instance, the principle of self-service, an advantage in some instances, becomes a disadvantage (Lu & Reardon, 2018). Due to the fact that customers are expected to serve themselves, supermarkets do not provide any personalized assistance to customers. When trying to market things that need individual attention, this becomes a significant barrier. When it comes to grocery stores, the odds of a customer participating in wasteful buying are greater since the client is looking at products and conducting shopping, and a lot of the time, they end up purchasing things that are unnecessary to complete the shopping trip. To put it another way, the likelihood of a client overpaying is greater in supermarkets than in conventional retail businesses.
Conclusion
Modern cultural reflexivity is governed by consumption. This would mean that the majority of the things that the majority of people think about in daily existence, whether they pertain to the construction of their selves, the maintenance of relationships, or the accomplishment of their instrumental goals, involve them making choices about things that they might consume. Consequently, the rise of the retail industry and supermarket chains, in particular, is witnessed, as explained by the conflict theory. Supermarket chains have numerous advantages and disadvantages for the community, the local economy, and the individuals. Nonetheless, supermarket chains are tied to the consumption landscape of the individuals, and as such public policies should be implemented to mitigate the negative impacts and maximize the advantages of supermarket chains.
References
Brewer, J., & Porter, R. (Eds.). (2013). Consumption and the World of Goods. Routledge.
Lu, L., & Reardon, T. (2018). An economic model of the evolution of food retail and supply chains from traditional shops to supermarkets to E‐commerce.
Reardon, T., Timmer, C. P., & Berdegue, J. (2012). The rapid rise of supermarkets in developing countries: induced organizational, institutional and technological change in agri-food systems. In The Transformation of Agri-Food Systems (pp. 71-90). Routledge.
Spaargaren, G. (2011). Theories of practices: Agency, technology, and culture: Exploring the relevance of practice theories for the governance of sustainable consumption practices in the new world-order. Global Environmental Change, 21(3), 813-822.
Storey, J. (2017). Theories of consumption. Routledge.
Warde, A. (2014). After taste: Culture, consumption and theories of practice. Journal of Consumer Culture, 14(3), 279-303.
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