On 8/10/07, Suresh Ramasubramanian <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Sriram Karra [10/08/07 13:58 +0530]: > >Yes indeed; but it is not a feature of the "Kirana format" - the small > >time fellows in my neighbourhood stick to MRP, for e.g. > > There are one or two shops that are mainly wholesaler types who do most of > their business cash on delivery. And when people buy a month's worth of > provisions, plus some other stuff (soap, toothpaste, instant noodles etc) > they can probably afford to sell below margin > > Actually, I have been trying to find a logical explanation for what I find in the area where I live, as well as other middle-class neighbourhoods.. which is that the shop, whether it be a Food World or a kirana guy, seems free to sell it either at MRP or less. I have several small shops here that sell at MRP, and equally, several "buy'n'save" (that is the generic term) shops which sell below MRP. I am not able to find a factor which will explain what makes the shop follow one particular path.
And to add to it, sometimes, if I am buying (say a packet of Red Label tea) at a small shop which is selling at MRP, and I say, "but Balaji Stores gives this for Rs.5 less!" the guy lets me have it at Rs.5 less...and at other times I get a take-it-or-leave-it shrug...I doln't do any "monthly" shopping btw. Like the LIC, I have a "need-based policy" for grocery and produce shopping. I once had a run-in at the Brigade Road Nilgiris which had stickers (for a higher price) over the printed MRP. I told them that what they were doing was illegal. I was told not to make a fuss and was given a 20% discount on that day's bill, which disgusted me further. I was quickly bundled away from the public area into an office where someone "praised" my consumer awareness. After a couple of such instances, and one episode where a shop assistant was treated very badly, I stopped going to Nilgiri's. But I have also had long and good associations with well-known shops like Fatima's or All Saints...which sell at MRP but replace/exchange pronto, with no questions asked. I would like to hear about specific experiences of the others who live in India, and from others who might go to a Big Lots or Sam's Club kind of department store abroad...are there any Mom-and-Pop stores left in the "developed" world? Deepa.
