Do you need a Bag?

‘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.