More And More Shops Are Open For Longer Hours Every Day | Band 8 IELTS Essay Sample

In some countries, more and more shops are open longer hours every day. What are the positive and negative developments of this?

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Band 8 IELTS essay sample

Nowadays, it is not uncommon to remain open even after midnight. Both advantages and drawbacks are associated with this trend.

On the one hand, stores extending their working hours benefit consumers and the society in many ways. Instead of having to store up foods and other perishable items at home, individuals are able to purchase fresh food and commodities on a daily basis. This provides convenience for the public, especially those who work in night shifts.

Moreover, extra hours of operation can form a competitive commercial market as more stores have overlapping business hours. For example, when two supermarkets both stay open until midnight, customers have accessibility to more products and can compare the available options. It would in turn prevent monopolies and form a healthier economic network. Additionally, with longer opening hours, more employees need to be hired to cope with the increased workload. Such growing demand for labor would help a country’s employment situation and benefit household financial status, which further lead to national economic growth.

On the flip side, this prevalence can trigger side effects on domestic relationships. Since shop assistants are allocated longer work hours, they have less time to spend with their spouse and children and this can lead to problems at home. For example, children who have both parents working are more likely to spend their time with internet and television. These kids are easily influenced by media. Lack of supervision may also lead to disruptive behaviour in children.

To conclude, after analysing both sides of the argument it is not hard to see that when shops remain open for longer hours, it has both positive and negative effects on the society.  

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