If you ever get the opportunity to look into a barrel of crabs you will notice how they climb over each other and fight to get to the top to freedom. Now, picture these crabs as black people. This is truly how the majority of us behave. When we get to the top we don’t stop to look down into the barrel to see if we can give someone a leg up, we just carry on our way.
If that isn’t bad enough we are red-eye and bad mind. How can I say that about my own people? If you look around you will know this to be true. As I walked down one of the High Streets in South East London I noticed some thriving black businesses, shops that have been around for years. It felt good to see them still doing well. The merchandise varies from vegetables and fruit from back home to clothing and hair care products.
As I walked further I noticed new shops had opened up. Did these shops have anything new to sell to the conscientious black shopper? I wished! Only black people could open up several hair care shops within spitting distance of one that has been there for years. I know more and more people are getting into weaving, wrapping, relaxing and locksing, and even the Natural brother and sister need good hair care products but do you really need six of the same shops down one High Street?
It’s not just hair care either. There are a couple of new Nail Extension parlours as well also within spitting distance of each other. Now it’s just a matter of waiting to see who closes down first.
Did these new shop owners carry out any Market Research at all? Or did they just observe that the existing businesses were doing well so if they copied their format they couldn’t go wrong? And that is exactly where they will go wrong. They obviously didn’t.
