‘India finally finds its rightful place in the world’, I chuckled as I spoke with
myself, while marveling at the air-conditioned environs, the spick and span
shelves, and the array of international brands on display at this very
impressive retail store, an outcome of the forward march of the Indian economy.
I could not help my thoughts racing back to my
childhood days, some 25 years ago, when what we would call a store would be a 4
ft X 4ft space having a wooden counter carrying Campa Cola, Britannia Bread,
Amul Butter, Dairy Milk chocolate and other daily need items visible through a
see through glass kept in the front. The ubiquitous rack containing eggs
stacked at the top of the wooden counter. Hardly anyone had an air-conditioner
in those days.
A bottle of Campa Cola for Rs 3 and a whole pack of
Britannia bread for Rs 2.5 (the shopkeeper would actually sell half of this
bread too, by slicing the bread at the middle and making two equal halves from
one pack of bread, if someone needed it) defined our Indian middle class experiences
in the 80s. It was not rich, but it was simple, customer-friendly and not
complicated.
Back to the future – today, in 2013, as I take time
to glean over the number and types of brands and items – Bread (Wheat, Brown),
Juices (Pomegranate, Cranberry, Guava), Tea (Green, Jasmine, Black) I could not
help but wonder how inundated a customer today is with the number and
variations of a product.
I stopped at the counter that read Tea & Coffee,
and could not find the small 10 rupee coffee sachets by Nescafe (as I stay
alone, I try purchasing items in small quantities). I summoned the staff and he
told me that they did not have those sachets and that I could purchase the
small international coffee bottle. When I read the price, over Rs 100, I told
myself, the sachet suits me better, I will come again. I thought i will pick up a couple of
packs of those Microwavable 3 minute food items, and a couple of packs of
snacks. As I reached the counter to purchase popcorns, I realized they had only
the big size packs of microwavable popcorns. After searching for a few moments
for the smaller size popcorn packs and not finding any, I summoned the help
staff again, and he apologetically told me that they did not keep the small
size popcorn packs.
Having been disappointed twice in a matter of 5
minutes, I felt perhaps it is not my best day today. I purchased the big size popcorn packs and some other stuff and reached the billing
counter. My bill was Rs 170, I handed over my Debit Card to the gentleman at
the counter. He apologized and returned the card saying, “For card payments,
your bill needs to be over Rs 200.” Ah, I must not know this new world well
enough, I thought. As I do not carry cash and rely largely on my Debit Card for
purchases and not wanting to leave without purchasing after all the time spent,
I reluctantly purchased a small bottle of deodorant. The bill now, Rs 330. The
gentleman at the counter now accepted my card and swiped it to complete the
billing.
“Do you need a bag, Sir?”, the question from the
billing staff confused me a little, as I thought how else does the store expect
me to carry 4 packets of food items and a bottle of deodorant. “Ofcourse, I
do.”, I shot back. ‘That would be charged Rs 10.” What! Is this a joke. The
store will charge me to provide a carry bag for carrying the merchandise that I
purchased from them. How do they suppose their customers will carry the stuff
from their store? After not stocking items which I needed and making
me purchase items which were priced higher, the store thinking it has not made
profit enough, now expects me to pay Rs 10 for the carry bag too, something which even the
poor fruit-sellers on the roadside provide for free with every purchase made
through them.
After this experience, i sorely miss those Campa
Cola and the wooden counter with the see through glass days.
