GRE Argument Task 4

“An important change is taking place in this area that will permit the Elm Street sotre to attract more business and increase profits. A locally owned grocery store, Ma’s Pantry, is permanently closing in two months because its longtime owner is retiring. The store is just one mile away, on the other side of the interstate highway. One feature that has attracted customers to that store is its deli section, where people order sandwiches to take with them. By adding a deli section to this store, we could expect to attract those customers plus others who used to shop for produce and other groceries.”

The speaker believed that adding a deli section to the Elm Street store will attract customers of the closing in Ma’s Pantry, a grocery store located one mile away. Even though the argument seems plausible, it is flawed in many areas and the speaker missed many things in his consideration.

Assuming that Ma’s Pantry will be closed for good, how can anyone be sure that its customers would go the Elm Street store afterwards? The availability of other stores near Ma’s Pantry as contending alternatives is not mentioned. The writer also did not give any information about the surrounding of the Elm Street store. Is it strategic and can be accessed easily? It that is not the case, people would hardly think of the store as a new shopping destination.

The second flaws relies on the reasoning of the deli section. The fact that the deli section in Ma’s Pantry succeeded does not mean that the Elm Street store would be able to have one as lucrative. It is likely that people buy sandwiches from the deli in Ma’s Pantry as their victuals on the highway. Therefore, there is a big possibility that they would not bother to visit the deli section in the Elm Store, which is located one mile away from the highway, on their way to other state.

The most vulnerable point in the argument is the writer did not mention what will happen to the properties of Ma’s Pantry after its closing. The owner might be retiring, but he could sell his store to others who would run it as usual or develop it to be bigger and more successful than ever. In the end, arguing whether the Elm Street store should have a deli section is completely useless because there would be no customer looking for a new store to shop at all.

Despite everything, if the Elm Street store to be more competitive, it would be better for them to make a distinctive character. The stone could make unique themes every month, build a small playground to keep children busy while their mothers are shopping, or hold fascinating events several times a year. Having something new and convenient would be a more advantageous factor in attracting customers rather than merely copying the rival’s strength.