Local Coffee Shops and Chain Coffee Shops Essay

Coffee shops have always been important for British people. When they want to read a book and newspapers ,meet new people, follow commodity prices, have knowledge of political issues, learn about what others think of a new book, be aware of the latest scientific and technological developments, have a chat with friends, they are going to coffee shops. In the past, there were only local coffee shops which are also named as high street coffee shops. Nevertheless, today, the number of coffee shop chains is increasing dramatically. Therefore, it becomes so difficult for the owners of the high street coffee shops to run their own businesses. This will be analyzed by comparing the upside and the downside of both shop types in this essay. First of all, giant companies have the advantage of a location which can be more convenient and also easier for locals, in particular students, to shop quickly. For instance, a big company can set up a coffee shop in such a good place like in a shopping park or a centre, in a train or a bus station, in an airport and in a popular street of a town centre, however, this is usually not possible for a local business person. Secondly, the latter has got the advantage of a popular brand name, but the former does not have this opportunity. Finally, giant corporations’ coffee shops are more modern and organized than local ones. On the other hand, there are some advantages of high street coffee shops. For example, a high street coffee shop has got a better atmosphere than a shop of a chain. The staff of local one is more friendly and hospitable. In addition, in a local coffee shop, most customers know each other and they can make new friends and discuss whatever they want with other customers. Thus, they feel more comfortable in these local shops. However, it is obviously difficult to provide a friendly environment in a giant corporation’s coffee shop because the personnel are more formal when they deal with customers. Also, people can get a delicious meal and a cup of coffee with a cheaper price in local shops compared to others. To sum up, even though there are some advantages of local coffee shops, particularly a kindly atmosphere of them, it is still challenging for them to compete with giant corporations. However, I believe that, in order to keep local coffee shops alive, there are some measures which can be taken. For instance, councils can reduce the amount of the rates and the rents for local businesses. Besides, all shopping centers should be outside of towns and local people should encouraged to go to local coffee shops.