Karhunkoski wrote:Thing is Tiswas, you can't totally blame the demise of smaller shops on the existence of the bigger ones. However you can aportion some of the blame at the door of greedy, mean Finnish consumers who are so tight-fisted that they would drive 50Km to save a cent on their petrol. The small shops went out of business because people didn't use them. When I lived out in the sticks we (us and practically the whole village) made sure we spent at least some money in the local general store, even though prices were higher than in the S Market we had just visited! But we knew that it was good to have a local shop nearby. The little shop is still running, so it proves that small shops can survive if the locals have the right attitude. Sefishness and greed are the real culprits.
Of course you are right.
But would this issue be reduced if there was no competitive edge (open on sundays) for smaller stores or increased?
Would people shop in small stores more or less?
Less is the answer. So it would help kill more small stores. Which leads to reduced competition. Which is bad for all customers, not just those greedy ones.
As for sunday and payment. At least it compensates having to work on sunday. Store workers etc have families too. Weekends are time when families can be together, kids and parents all having free time. What if current legislation was overturned and sunday and saturday were regular workdays? Kids would not have school, but one or both parents might be away.
Yes, parents would have free day some other time, but then kids would be at school.
I work to live, I do not live to work. If my employer wants to drag me away from my family on two days of week when there is high chance for us to have more time together... Employer better pay me more than they usually do.