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We are not happy with the shop in the street corner. These shops for me are examples of serial entrepreneurs. I am never tired of watching them start their work in the morning and how persistently they work hard each day to make ends meet.
Most people shopping at street corner shops are never satisfied with the deal. We check the bills, calculate total, and ask questions. We leave thinking we could have haggled more.
People happily pay bills at super markets. No checking, no questions asked. Most of us.
I am not a bargaining freak. I am happy to pay the price tag if it is reasonable. Yet the incident below, sent a shock wave in my brain.
I was at a super market in Katubedda. I had 14 items. 7 each from 2 products.
I saw Rs.120 displayed in green, on cash register, for a product which the label said Rs.100/-
Rs.20 each for 7 items equals Rs.140/-
I asked 'why?'. A polite inquiry.
'There's a price revision' the girl at the cashier continued billing.
' I will pay only the label price, if not, I will not buy'
The girl called her supervisor. He came, punched some keys on key board, and inserted a Rs.140 discount. Magic !
Since I purchased 7 items from a single product, the difference was noticed. Otherwise I won't even know.
Not a big deal. Or may be. I learned a lesson.
Have you ever had such an experience? Why you prefer super markets over street corner shop?
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9 comments:
When it comes to supermarkets, I too wonder the same : "why don't we bother to check the bills, most of the time !" (I have the same habit too !). is it because that we feel the "quality of products" at supermarkets is better than outside ? or that we feel it's not appropriate to check "printed bills" or doubt the "bar-code" systems ? I don't know exactly. it may be a social phenomena !
There are few reasons I prefer Supermarkets over the normal shops; I get the freedom to go through details of different brands rather than listening to the shop-keeper's suggestions, I get almost all the items I need at one place & I can hop in till midnight to do so !
But whatever the reason given above, I try to AVOID buying vegetables and fruits like Bananas, Mangoes & Pawpaws at supermarkets. One reason is I can get better or fresher fruits outside. The other is their "price per 100g style" which, at times, requires you to pay in hundreds even for 1 mango ! No way ! :D
I've had the similar experience with both of major super market chains, and I've completely stopped purchasing goods from them and I go to "Sathosa" for Rice and other Packed products also on weekends "Delkanda Fair" Gets me affordable Fresh Fruits and Vegetables.
on the other hands the advertisements and marketing campaigns have created an image where we think we are buying freshest and clean products, but thats not the case everytime, if you visit the fruit stoles you might find the grapes are half rotten and almost dried up. other products are the same except for dairy products.
I do understand people who are running busy lives have no time to visit a sunday fair or to find a "Sathosa", but still we pay large amount of money for the goods where we can purchase same goods with better quality cheaper price and still support a poor merchant to run his family.
Hi Gopi, I agree with the freedom. albeit it comes with an additional price tag. What I like about your comment is about the freshness of fruits and veges at street corner shop. That tip is taken :)
I like this part of your comment the best. "still support a poor merchant to run his family." That kind of shift in thinking is vital to help and support an entrepreneurial culture in Sri Lanka. Great thoughts. Thanks for sharing. Cheers !
Yes Isura, I was not pointing at "Sathosa" but the poor street merchants (sometimes old ladies who are at the age of my grand mother) you would find at a place like Delkanda Sunday Pola. they are fighting poverty and we need to support them.
A really good post and you've a really good point.
Now, I'm a 100% super market customer, but I'm not loyal. The thing is, the
responsible guy inside me always trying to shop at small shops (which owned by
non-billionaires). So I'm helping to make someone's life better.
As I saw this text somewhere on an E-Mail, "The small shop owner will
raise his/her kids using my money and instead, the super market owner will buy
another car or a vacation in heaven.
So we MUST buy from small guys. I really tried it for sometimes and I gave up
because most of the time, I ended up with frustration mainly due to their
behavior like,
- low attention to my request
- unnecessary waiting (a cue is accepted, but I don't need to listen to a long
gossip story or a phone conversation of the shop guy with somebody else)
- etc...
Simply they act like I came to beg without money. So I'm going to small shops I
know that's good and every other time, the choice is a super market.
Hi Isura. Great article, a subject we all are effected of. We talk about it among us but we don't do anything. Well we are busy people aren't we and we don't have time to stand on a corner KADE and buy fresh veggies. But then what you can do about it... you can't get into ERP system of the supermarket to adjust their errors. Stop buying from them doesn't help. Yes voicing it out to them will help as you did.
I do prefer going to supermarket. One fact you have variety of goods as Gopi said and 2nd one can read in ENGLISH what is the product. (as the case for me being a foreigner) I go to Kirulapone market for veggies and fresh stuff but rest from a well stocked super market.
I am sure Kirulapone market stalls are equal to a corner Kade BUT... guys cheat specially at veggie/ fruit stalls. As they reckon I can't understand or speak Sinhala. The prices change and they overcharge. THIS IS FACT being repeated over and over. At that very moment you decide in favor of Super Market.
I will endorse Gopi's comments for supermarket with an option of Kade for veggies and fruits.
Happy shopping guys :)
You beat me to it.
Supermarkets are awesome. The introvert in me prefers the way of a super market. Yet I try to go to little guy when I can because someone has to help them too. They have to live too.
Once I read a newspaper article that super market people cheat on people who don't pay attention so that they can make few more bucks. The article listed a few more dirty tricks too.
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