Corporate empowered corner stores

It has been for a while since I started gathering information about this topic. The intention which motivated me to write this is the current economic climate.

There were blames on corporate companies for their irresponsible profit centric attitude which considered one of the reason for the current economic downturn. There are two ways to approach it. The collective failure of legislators to regulate the country, economy and the market with a long term vision. The second one could be the corporate recklessness.

Regardless of what damages had been done to the economy, I have found this local economy structure is fascinating. In a different and parallel perspective to the documentary, “Walmart- The high cost of low price”, I am writing this. In many ways, the documentary seems arguably fine. However, blames itself does not solve the problems. We ought to think beyond.

During these four year of my residence in Ireland, I have seen a supermarket system which I find sustainable to the society and I think similar approaches could benefit the small local economy. The title says itself “Corporate empowered corner stores”. What if all the big corporates started to offer small franchise across the country where local people will get goods delivered to their store and share the profit, instead of a big mall/supermarket in the outskirt of the town/village. I think that could lead to a sustainable supermarket franchise system where people get products at reasonable price while sustaining their jobs and businesses. Starting from groceries to hardware, all the items can be sold through various franchises.

Now you may ask what is the benefit to the corporates.I think this system can enable higher volume of sales while giving them credit for their social responsibility, which in turn can lead to a sustainable local and broader economy.

Centra is a local supermarket and a corner store in Irish towns and villages. Each store is run by private franchisees and the stores get supply from a big corporate company called Musgrave. You can learn more about them by following the links.

The way the supermarket operates is really promising in terms of sustainability of the business. You may easily find at least two stores in any Irish town and minimum one in any village. Centra is only a grocery store, but what if that model could be expanded to clothes, hardware etc, you name it.

I think a business model similar to what Musgrave operates is something should be achieved through the rest of the world with proper regulations. Shared profit and sustainable business can prevent places becoming ghost towns and cities due to closure of local businesses.

With a competing corporate, it has always been difficult to sustain their business in economic hard times as people always prefer cheaper price, which most of the time the local stores unable to meet. In such a situation, corporate empowered corner stores can be a way forward.

What you really call a life? How to make it?

The village and the district where I was born, on average people had enough food to feed themselves and their families, good houses with lands, good clothes and a bicycle or motor bicycle to carry out their job and day to day activities. There were no pubs and clubs. Fun times were filled by temple festivals and family events. People had enough facility to have a good healthcare, educate themselves and to obtain a degree too. But, I didn’t understand the meaning of life.

Then I displaced from my hometown with another nine hundred thousand people, and spent days in streets without proper shelter and food. People died along due to several diseases. Days spent without education, proper health care and there was no space for fun. But, I didn’t understand the meaning of life.

Later, I moved to the capital city of the island, where people had everything we had in our village. However, bicycles were replaced by buses. An average person can travel by bus as cycles and motorcycles were assumed to be dangerous on those city roads. About 20% of the city population lived a life equivalent to what is offered in the western cities. Another 20% suffered for food even. The rest 60% called average, struggled to make a decent living. Traveling on buses and trains was neither joyful nor pleasant. However the 60% left with no other choice. The lawmakers, entrepreneurs and business people were in the top 20%, never thought about improving the 60%’s life while making a good business. They were busy with making their life more comfortable by importing the most luxurious vehicles, building world class restaurants, pubs and clubs to serve their fellow 20% by selling basics to those struggling population. They had everything they wanted. But no one really cared about the 60%, even the law makers. Thus 60% continued the same life. The big picture of the city never changed. Because the majority still remain the same. You find nothing other than more chaos on the city roads and other facilities with time. But, I didn’t understand the meaning of the life.

Finally, I went to western world, where every single person had everything including luxuries, world class restaurants, pubs and clubs. A very small percentage of people struggled to make that living. Although they struggled, the opportunity was definite. Still there are complaints about lack of social life, instability in the society due to the pursued mechanical life. However, still I didn’t understand the meaning of life.
What could I really say a life? I had the advantage of a very few to witness all four states and I do not understand that where do we really begin and end. What is the real purpose of a government other than fighting the wars and making the world a bad place to live. Do they really care about giving all the world citizen a decent life. If then what is that decent life. Would you call having all luxuries by giving up what we had in my little village. Or, all the governments and law makers are really trying to put all people to the stage where we were during the displacement times. Did we chose them to do so.

Else we all be at the state of the top 20% living in the capital by ignoring the poor 20% and struggling 50%. So that we will have some sort of achievement in our life by having some elements to compare your well being. Can it really be called a life?

Or are we all going to make all the efforts to bring all the world population to the state of the life lived by most of the industrialist nations. How did really make it happen. Does any of us really think about this, or at-least our law makers? Or they aren’t capable of doing such great transformation.  If they don’t what is the real meaning of life to them?

I am so terrified and stupefied by the meaning of life. Where do we start and where do we end and what we all will have at the end. All the countries on earth and communities on earth will have some meaning for a real life. Until they achieve that, my question will always remain unanswered.