Ma’Kayla Hunter
Staff Writer

Though I am an English major, my college experience has helped me realize my love of business. Not only has it sparked this interest, it has also led to me starting my own business and even getting a Masters degree in business. By evaluating the concepts and methods of business, I couldn’t help but see how these ideas function in real life examples. Inevitably, this contributed to my constant habit of analyzing different businesses for what they bring to the table and how they do so. 

The first thing I learned about business is that there are millions of ways to run a business, as far as the concepts and decisions made within. This is the main reason why there are so many businesses currently. However, how individuals choose to run a business creates the main values and culture that the company will be built on. Even though this is first created in a business plan, this can quickly change based on the present actions that a business takes. For example, though a company may have based their business off of “top quality, low prices,” their present condition can neglect to reflect these principles.

One of the most apparent examples I have faced recently has been with restaurants. I always go out to eat because I love dining and eating great food. However, I couldn’t help but notice the quiet changes that restaurants often make when continuing business. These decisions are ones that include quality cutting to save money, reducing portions and even raising prices for the same products.

Though some changes are normal, it has become more common for restaurants to cut too many corners, causing a negative response from customers, especially loyal ones. It’s always a pain to go to restaurants I’ve loved in the past and see cheap, selfish ways that benefit their company’s profits. For example, I can’t be the only one that’s paid for a shrimp and meat combo, just to receive four shrimp compared to 20 pieces of chicken. Seafood, of course, is more expensive than chicken so lots of businesses cut corners. This, along with other cheap saving methods, causes me and millions of other consumers irritation when interacting with businesses. Instead of placing the value in the customers hands, businesses have been more concerned with making as much money as possible. This creates an unfair power struggle based on the desperation of the consumer. 

Considering the other perspectives, I am sure that costs and operations have become more expensive. However, quality is not an aspect that restaurants should cut or reduce. When doing so, customers fail to return because of this shift in quality. In my own experiences, I have returned to restaurants and have personally seen certain aspects of products become stripped, but prices still increased. My friends and family and I have engaged in long discussions about how often this has occurred within our own experiences. Therefore, this has become my biggest and justified pet peeves with businesses.

I know that businesses have to make some cuts in certain situations but cutting quality is a terrible way to do that. Maintaining high standards creates strong first impressions, but it also sustains business by creating loyalty. Though there can be other means of accomplishing sales goals, consistent and high quality is a great way of doing so. Speaking as a concerned consumer, I hope that businesses consider this before making drastic changes.

Categories: Opinions

Tags: opinions, politics