It’s been more than 6 weeks of my internship at Chennai and not a single day would have passed by when I would not have visited “The Mandir” also popularly known as “Spencers daily”. Spencers is a large chain of super markets spread across major south Indian cities. We call it mandir may be because it’s the “Anndata” for us here. All our requirements, which are very limited I must say, except clothes comes from here. It’s like any other supermarket; you roam around find your stuff then stuff your basket to take out the cash stuffed in your purse. And btw it also accepts credit cards :D. All done to make your life easier or make you visit more, plan less and a mechanical machine.
So much to experience but I still feel it is the exact experience lacking here. Then I remember the old shopping center I used to visit when I was a kid. There was a small shopping center near my house in Bokaro. It was a collection of 6-7 kiranas. Whenever I entered it the panwala bhaiyaa would take me in his arms and give me at least 4-5 toffees. I still remember him by that name only and a hazy picture of him chewing pan maybe that’s why the name. And then there were occasions when I went to buy something which was not available so would run back to my home to ask mom what to do now and then run back to buy something 2nd in the priority list. It was great fun but now you have mobiles to resurrect that too.
There were times when a shopkeeper would give me the whole bunch of Spiderman stickers when I bought only one bubblegum. Some experience that would make someone visits the same store again and again. Compare that to the supermarket where you pay extra for the ambience and can’t even bargain for any product. Also you have to ask for anything which comes free and unless then they won’t move their feet to give you what you are supposed to get.
And then you feel whether the old kiranas provided a better experience for you to return or is it just nostalgia of your childhood memories.
So much to experience but I still feel it is the exact experience lacking here. Then I remember the old shopping center I used to visit when I was a kid. There was a small shopping center near my house in Bokaro. It was a collection of 6-7 kiranas. Whenever I entered it the panwala bhaiyaa would take me in his arms and give me at least 4-5 toffees. I still remember him by that name only and a hazy picture of him chewing pan maybe that’s why the name. And then there were occasions when I went to buy something which was not available so would run back to my home to ask mom what to do now and then run back to buy something 2nd in the priority list. It was great fun but now you have mobiles to resurrect that too.
There were times when a shopkeeper would give me the whole bunch of Spiderman stickers when I bought only one bubblegum. Some experience that would make someone visits the same store again and again. Compare that to the supermarket where you pay extra for the ambience and can’t even bargain for any product. Also you have to ask for anything which comes free and unless then they won’t move their feet to give you what you are supposed to get.
And then you feel whether the old kiranas provided a better experience for you to return or is it just nostalgia of your childhood memories.
2 comments:
that is called missing human touch as one say in marketing lecture.. ;-)
guru words.
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