0910G [try best] 第三次作业 argument65 by heliapple

heliappleUID: 2621347

65. The following appeared in a memo from the president of a chain of cheese stores located throughout the United States.

"For many years all the stores in our chain have stocked a wide variety of both domestic and imported cheeses. Last year, however, the five best-selling cheeses at our newest store were all domestic cheddar cheeses from Wisconsin. Furthermore, a recent survey by Cheeses of the World magazine indicates an increasing preference for domestic cheeses among its subscribers. Since our company can reduce expenses by limiting inventory, the best way to improve profits in all of our stores is to discontinue stocking many of our varieties of imported cheese and concentrate
primarily on domestic cheeses."


This memo suggests that in order to make more profit, the chain of cheese stores all over the country should stop stocking imported cheese but pay more attention on the domestic cheeses. To support this suggestion, the memo cites several evidences including (1) the most popular cheese at their recently opened store are cheddar cheese produced in Wisconsin, (2)a survey by a magazine named Cheese of the World indicates that the preference of their subscribers  for domestic cheese is increasing(3) the way their company reduce expenses is to limit inventory, thus to expand the inventory of domestic cheese they have to decrease the stock of the imported cheese. Carefully examined these evidences, I find none of them could lend credible support to this suggestion.  

Firstly, the mere fact that the best-selling cheeses at their newest store were domestic cheddar cheeses from Wisconsin could not serve as the evidence to support the president’s suggestion. The memo forgets to consider other alternatives to the popularity of domestic cheese in the newest store. The price of the cheese could make a great difference especially in the economy nowadays. Perhaps the cheddar cheeses from Wisconsin were on sale all year long, and the low prices made these cheeses the best-selling. Whereas the promotion could not last too long and maybe as soon as the price go bake to  normal , the best-selling ones might become the worst –selling ones.   Even if it is the quality not the price that makes these cheeses the most popular ones, it is still illogical make the assumption that domestic cheeses are more preferred. After all, except cheddar cheese there are hundreds of other cheeses.  Even if people like cheddar cheeses produced in Wisconsin, it does not mean that they like all kinds of other cheeses produced in Wisconsin, not mention to support the suggestion that domestic cheeses are popular. It is entirely possible that although the best-selling cheeses in the newest store were cheddar cheeses from Wisconsin, the worst-selling ones were also cheddar cheeses but produced in California, and the imported cheeses contributed to 70% of the overall revenue of that store last year. Moreover, even if domestic cheeses were really very popular in that store last year, it is incorrect for the president to make the conclusion that domestic cheeses are popular all over US, because the trend of one store could not represent that of all the other stores in the country.

Secondly, although the survey by the magazine Cheese of the world indicates that their subscribers are more and more willing to buy domestic cheeses, it couldn’t support the suggestion either.   Not mention the reliability of that survey, the subscribers of that magazine could not represent the consumers and patrons of the cheese stores.  Moreover, the survey only recommends that there is a trend that the preference of its subscribers for domestic cheeses is increasing, whereas it does not mean that their subscribers prefer domestic cheeses better than imported cheeses.  It is possible that domestic cheeses were expelled by most of the consumers and the magazines’ subscribers before, and this situation was changing and more and more people begin to buy the domestic cheeses now. The consumption of domestic cheeses might be 10% of overall cheeses consumption per year before, and last year it increased to 20%.

Thirdly, even if domestic cheeses are popular all over the country, it is not wise to discontinue the stock of imported cheeses in order to expand the stock of domestic cheeses.  There is no evidence indicates that imported cheeses are out of stage and not welcomed now. To limit or even discontinue the stock of imported cheeses might result in losing a great portion of consumers and profits.

To make this suggestion reliable, more information is needed. The president should make a survey about the prices of the most popular cheeses in the newest store in order to clarify the reason of why these cheeses were the best –selling ones. Moreover, a survey about consumers’ preference about cheeses nationwide should also be taken. Only when all of the surveys indicate that the majority citizens in this country prefer domestic cheeses much more than imported cheeses, can this suggestion make sense.