An evaluation of store enterprises in Aboriginal communities

Abstract

Contemporary retail stores in remote aboriginal communities share a number of key characteristics. First, and most importantly, they provide a vitally important service, unlike any other because it is used by every resident and because without it people would not have access to basic sustenance. Secondly, they operate under difficult conditions. The physical isolation and sparseness of settlement affect their basic operations, disrupting supply lines and hindering them from cutting costs through strategies such as bulk buying and storage. As a result their goods are expensive and often of low quality, the range of merchandise is limited, and frequent and lengthy delays in meeting the needs of their customers are common. With high proportions of people of aboriginal origin among their staff and customers, their particular cultural perceptions and social and economic characteristics strongly influence the way in which the stores operate. Such considerations affect, amongst other things, the types of goods demanded, the behaviour and expectations of customers, staff attitudes to work, levels of staff expertise and understanding of the complexities of financial operations. Problems stemming from poor management and financial incompetence or misdealings are all too common, as are those related to the level of control which aboriginal people can exert over this service. Finally, although these retail stores primarily offer a service, they are also potential money-spinners, enterprises which can bring in much­ needed cash to resource-poor communities. This can, as I have documented elsewhere (Young 1982, 1984), cause conflicts of interest, the resolution of which may ultimately disadvantage the aboriginal customers. Show more