Just recently, I had been to one of the retail stores in my area "Reliance Fresh". A little information about the store: it is a retail store from the house of Reliance Industries, one of the pillars of the Indian economy. They sell everything from raw to prepared foodstuffs, fruits, dairy, vegetables, food-grains, etc. It is one stop shop for groceries.
Coming back to my experience, I had to buy few things for my daily usage. I had prepared a list fo things I need to buy. As I entered the store, I started accumulating stuffs in my cart and believe me I just had covered half the store and I had most of the not-in-my list stuffs. As things came across, I felt the need to buy them, if not immediate, then for future reasons. The retail stores have this habit of giving you stuffs for a cheaper price if you buy them in bulk. So, you end up buying them in quantity more than needed, as it wud be consumed anyways, so save as much as you can. By the time, I covered the entire store, I had collected everything including the items in my list, though in the whole lot, it was difficult to find the things listed.
My point is, when you go to a legacy grocery stores, or a vegetable market, you have specific things in mind you need to buy and end up buying only those things. With powerful bargaining skills, you would end up buying them cheaper too, which precisely almost every Indian ends up with. You are one side of the counter in such stores, often blinded from the things which are kept covered in cupboards or drawers. You give the listed items and the shopkeeper prepares our basket. He doesn't give you things you didnt mention. However, you are at your own expense in a retail store with all the items around you. Feel free to grab as much as you can. Check the price-tags (which are often very tempting), buy them not one but many. You check-out the items at the counter, and boom, you are shocked to see such a huge price on your grocery bill. But, very rarely, or say never does anybody tries to reduce the weight of their bag once it has been put in front of you with the bill.
That's exactly, what the retails business means I suppose. Human has a greedy nature and many have the tendency to back-up stuffs at their disposal, even though it might not be needed. I am one of those who keeps backing-up stuffs. Also, the price tag plays a very important role too. There are many things which come with an expiry and you might not buy them in bulk, to avoid wasting them. But the price -tag on it compels you to do it. Most of the soon-to-expire items are bought in bulk which never end up in the garbage without being consumed. But, sorry to say the financial damage has been already done to you. There are many such food-stuffs or raw foods- like grains, and pulses, which might be bought in bulk and be stored for the future, as they don't come with an expiry. That seems fine. This discounted amount which seems like a burden onto the retailer, virtually, but in reality he is already in profit. The retailer buys things in bulk, the consumer buys them in bulk or if not in bulk, the wastage of those products in the store is still not a liability on the retailer. He has already taken in that loss within his accounts and yet laughing all the way to the banks.
Retails business has been a good strategy which has made purchasing stronger and comfortable for the consumers, and the economic growth of the retailers even more stronger. The retails business in India will never be 100%, not for the very immediate future. Indians have always been traditional and will never want to leave it. The grocery shops have been and will always stay strong, with their businesses a bit affected, but they will stay for long. Yet, for me the retail store seems a finer option. It offers me fresh stuffs (things being upgraded at regular intervals keeping the expiry date very much in attention), no bargaining hassles, low price and saves me the biggest hassle of moving around different places carrying things bought from each place and being dumped into the bag I am dragging around. One way I can save myself from being poisoned by the sweet poison of the retail stores, is to stick to my list of items and keep a check on my consumption and don't bulk-up my back-ups for unnecessary reasons. Its gonna be difficult, but worth trying to enjoy the boon of retail businesses.
