argument14 0906G 永不言弃互改小组 第二周第三次作业 by 6＃

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"There is evidence that consumers are becoming more and more interested in growing their own vegetables. A national survey 
conducted last month indicated that many consumers were dissatisfied with the quality of fresh vegetables available in supermarkets. And locally, the gardening magazine Great Gardens has sold out at the Village News stand three months in a row. Thus, we at Green Thumb Gardening Center can increase our profits by greatly expanding the variety of vegetable seeds we stock for gardeners this coming spring."


Argument14

In this memo, the owner of Green Thumb Gardening Center asserts that GT can increase their profits by greatly expanding the variety of vegetable seeds they stock. To justify this conclusion, the owner of GT cites a national survey indicating that many consumers are dissatisfied with the quality supermarket vegetables. The author also points out that a gardening magazine has sold out at a stand three months in a row. Nevertheless, close scrutiny reveals several vital flaws that undermine the assertion.
First, the argument unfairly assumes that the national survey reflects the local level of satisfaction with market vegetables. The author provides no specific evidence that consumers in the suburban town dissatisfy with supermarket vegetables as well. Unless the arguer can provide substantial evidence concerning the level of satisfaction, the conclusion can not be safely drawn.
Second, granted that the national level of satisfaction does reflect local trends, the author’s assertion still rests on a unconvincing presumption that consumers who are unsatisfied with supermarket vegetables are interested to grow their own vegetables. The author fails to establish causal relationship between people’s dissatisfaction and tend to grow their own vegetable. It is highly possible that residents in the suburb town have alternative access to vegetables, such as multiple store or even farms. Even if residents don’t have alternative choices, perhaps they just continue to buy in supermarket considering how much time and money growing own vegetables consumes. Since the owner has failed to consider and rule out these possibilities, the owner's assertion that this town's unsatisfied consumers would be eager to buy vegetable seeds from GT to grow their own vegetables is presumptuous at best.
Thirdly, the mere fact that a gardening magazine has sold out at a news stand three months in a row proves nothing towards supporting the author’s conclusion that consumers are becoming more interested in growing their own vegetables. Perhaps three months ago other news stands in the town stopped stocking this magazine, thus readers from all over town came to this news stands to buy this magazine. For that matter, this magazine may concern itself with such subjects as how to nurture flowers rather than how to grow vegetables. Any of these scenarios, if true, would significantly undermine the speaker’s conclusion.
In conclusion, the owner’s argument is unpersuasive as it stands. To strengthen it the owner must provide convincing evidence that consumers in this town are actually becoming less satisfied with supermarket vegetables and more interested in growing their own vegetables. To better evaluate the argument I would need more information about alternative sources of vegetables for local consumers—for example, the vegetable stands or special produce markets. I would also need to know why the news stand’s copies of the gardening magazine sold out and whether this magazine has a concern for how to grow vegetables.