GRE Sample Argument Essay Score 5
In this letter to the editor, the writer has tried to engender a vague relationship between the steadily attenuating number of shoppers and the phenomenal rise in the trend of skateboarding in central plaza. If there has been a drastic increase in the number of skateboard users, then why has not the business been affected by it in the same magnitude? As he says that there has been a slow ebb in the amount of shoppers during the last two years. The number of customers hasn’t dropped proportionally with the influx of skateboarders.
In creating this link, the intentions of the writer are obscure, who is also a central plaza store owner. He is not mentioning any other factors that might have influenced the gradual decline of mall clientele. There might have been a decline in the quality or quantity of goods being sold at the plaza. Poor merchandizing or client dealing could have caused the shoppers to digress. Or there could have been other managerial issues in this respect.
Another reason to doubt his opinion is that the only object of his scrutiny are the skate board users. He seems perturbed by the nuisance they create. May be he has a personal aversion for them, or may be just the increased amount of litter and vandalism may have impaired his judgment. There is a possibility that he might be trying to cover up his own or someone else’s created mess. initially, the shop owners might have suggested to instigate the trend of skateboarding in the plaza. What they would have thought of as a publicity stunt in the beginning, when turned in to an overwhelming challenge was bluntly blamed on the skateboarders.
It could have been a consequence of inadequate or flawed management. The management might have not employed enough people to properly maintain the plaza’s public areas and services. The negligence of an unconcerned staff might have played some significant role in the accumulation of garbage and litter. There could have been a security fault that had led or promoted negative elements in to the plaza, in case of the absence of proper security and staff.
Also, his assessment is based only on the store owner’s perspective. He should have enquired about the shoppers view of the situation as well. As customers feed-back is fundamental in creating sound business strategies and administrative decision making. The customers enthusiastically participate in such surveys, if conducted properly and are often candid in giving out their opinions for the improvement of services being provided to them. They would surely point out the real problems with the central plaza and some might also suggest valuable solutions. A decision that radically involves skateboard users, shoppers and shop-owners cannot be made by only taking in account single sided.
The shop owners have proposed a ban on skateboarding in central plaza which is completely inappropriate. Prohibiting a recreational activity all of a sudden might have negative connotations for people in the community. So before making any resolutions the city authorities should not only rely upon the shop-owners biased opinions, as expressed in this letter, but all the concerned groups should be approached and their interests reasonably protected to reach a mutual aggrement, in the larger interest of the neighborhood.
