III.
In order to attain information about the local shops and the products sold in these shops, which correlates with the hypothesis, one has to take a tour of the area. By going down the main street of Agdal the stores designed for the wealthier population are more visible. However, the small side streets provide valuable information about the products that are available for local shoppers. The information retrieved was photographed to provide evidence of findings and enabled the researcher to go back and analyze after touring. Most of the shops aimed at the wealthy were photographed from the outside. This was due to the fact that the exterior provided more information than inside whereas, most of the local shops provided more information inside. The location in which all the data was obtained is crucial because it is the most commercial area in Rabat. In Agdal there are a variety of stores aimed at different classes of people which provide a substantial amount of data. Store managers and owners were also interviewed providing a primary source to provide clarification on the products that are being sold.
The data collected was presented on a map (see map and attached pictures)
V.
After careful data collection, observations, interviews, pictures, and constructing a precise map of the area researched, it was evident that the hypothesis was correct. From exploring side streets and the main streets it is evident that wealthy stores provide products that are from places, besides morocco. It is clear that the hypothesis that wealthy shoppers are only offered non locally produced, non recyclable items is true. However, after researching it has become evident that the less wealthy are offered locally, yet still non recyclable items. Four wealthy stores were explored to attain which were Layalit, New Boy, Gold Vision, and a shoe store. Layalit is a furniture store with a range of lamps, beds, tables and chairs. The manager said that most of the items were imported from France and that most were non recyclable items. The reason for these items not being recyclable is due to the fact that most are made from plastic. Light bulbs, mirrors and cutlery are also non recyclable items which are also available in the store. The next store investigated was New Boy, a store which contains children's toys. New Boy is an franchise that has aspired from the Middle East, however, offers a selection of toys from other companies. Most of the toys are made from plastic and are non recyclable. Gold Vision, a store that is right next to New Boy, its an electrical shops that contains televisions, dvd players, stereos and tables. The products offered in Gold Vision are mostly brand names which range from Samsung to LG both are companies that are based in other countries. The biggest non recyclable item at the moment is television due to the fact that once people are finished with them they simply discard them and they are hard to break down. The last store that was observed was a shoe store that also offered hand bags and scarfs. The manager said that all the items in the store were non recyclable and that most of them were imported from France. Like the other stores the shoes store had a combination of high named brands such as Diesel. All of these stores have large buildings with glass windows in order to attract wealthy clients. Inside they are nicely decorated and spaced out. Illustrating that the presentation of the items is important. At the door of Gold Vision and Layalit there was a security guard ensuring the safety of the goods as most are expensive. From the observations of the richer stores it is evident that most of the products come from Europe, with the exception of New Boy. This illustrates that even though the products are coming from wealthy countries they are still non recyclable.
The other stores observed were small in-stores which are located on most streets. On the three main streets that were observed there were three small stores that were only meters away. The products sold were local moroccan products with Arabic writing. When store keepers were asked where most of the products were from they said Morocco. Then the store keeps were asked if their products were recyclable one replied that he didn’t know and the other said that they weren’t. In the larger of the three stores, on Oued Melouya, there were children's toys which were made of plastic. Unlike the richer stores, the small stores are compact and are filled with items. The reason for this is the store keeps have to have quantity in order to earn a living.
From the data collected it can be concluded that those who go to wealthy shops are looking for products are from European countries and are non recyclable. The investigation revealed that wealthier stores are larger and less compact compared to the less wealthier stores. Also, less wealthier stores have more items in order to sell more and have a higher income. One of the frustrating points of the investigation is that products coming from developed countries are still non recyclable. It is understandable that local products are non recyclable because most of the suppliers are mainly concerned about making money rather than the environment. However, European companies have the money and the knowledge of recyclable items, yet chose to do nothing about it.
Today’s consumption is undermining the environmental resource base. It is exacerbating inequalities. And the dynamics of the consumption-poverty-inequality-environment nexus are accelerating. If the trends continue without change — not redistributing from high-income to low-income consumers, not shifting from polluting to cleaner goods and production technologies, not promoting goods that empower poor producers, not shifting priority from consumption for conspicuous display to meeting basic needs — today’s problems of consumption and human development will worsen.
Illustration the need to change from non recyclable products to environment friendly items. This is not only applicable to the local production but also to the wealthy products.
Although the data collected is accurate there are still imperfections in the way the research was carried out. Due to the time in which the investigation took place there weren’t many shoppers around thus, it was difficult to see who the consumers or, differentiate the wealthy from the less wealthy. Also, if the area of investigation had been broader then the information would have been more precise. Although there could have been improvements of the method used to obtain the data does not disregard the fact that the hypothesis was correct.
Bibliography
“Morocco: Poverty and Wealth.”Advameg Inc. 2007. 11 January. 2008.<>
“Moroccan Economy Statistics.”NationMaster. 2003-2007. 11 January. 2008. <http:// www.nationmaster.com/country/mo-morocco/eco-economy>
Shah, Anup.“Behind Consumption and Consumerism.” Global Issues. January 08, 2008. <http:// www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Consumption.asp>
