It is amazing how supermarkets are integrating so many other services into their stores. At first, when you went to a supermarket all you could get was food and some personal items (such as toiletries and first aid materials). However, as supermarket owners began to realize that a vast majority of people, regardless of income level, go to supermarkets in order to buy food (which is a requirement of life), these supermarket owners began integrating other services into their markets to increase convenience for their shoppers and also to increase their revenues. Now, when you walk into a supermarket you may discover a pharmacy, a post office branch, a particular bank branch, a video store, a film development center and digital camera development center, a book section, and certain quick service restaurants. In fact, I have even seen some clothing sections and office supply sections (sponsored by a national office supply store chain) in some supermarkets. In Las Vegas (my home town) most supermarkets even have a mini casino.

With all of these options available to shoppers, one has to wonder whether the supermarkets are taking over the retail sector. In my opinion, supermarkets may have grabbed a small market share of what constitutes the retail sector. However, the market share that is controlled by supermarkets is not even close to large enough to compete with other retail giants. The reason for this is because no matter how big the supermarkets get, I cannot imagine that they will sell the electronics and clothing on a large enough scale to compete with stores that specialize in that merchandise. For example, certain discount chain supermarkets sell everything from electronics and food to furniture and appliances, however, because these mega marts do not sell any particular product, they do not take away much of a market share from the individual specialty stores.

A particular famous saying states, "He is a jack of all trades but a master of none." This is the way I feel about the supermarket business. Supermarkets, with the exception of food, only dabble in other retail sectors and do not control any significant market share to pose a great danger to the specialized stores. Additionally, I do not believe that supermarkets will ever grab a significant market share in those sectors. I believe that people want a certain atmosphere and expect certain things when going to a specialized store. For example, when I go to a Bestbuy, I do not expect to purchase clothes, and therefore, would not purchase clothes from such a store even if it offered the same.

Although I believe these things, financial strength of a corporation and innovative marketing techniques may change the amount of control certain supermarkets have over specialized markets. Only time will tell how the status quo may or may not change.

Learn more about this author, Marco Angioni II.
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