Karthik
41 anecdotes
By God's grace, I have everything, including a house. I need to earn at least 30K per month, which I don't get. I have been trying to improve my business, but I am unable to do so. I know how to do a lot of jobs. I have worked in a grocery shop, a jewel shop, an iron shop, an arrack shop, and a whiskey shop. I have also worked in cinema theatres. Customers come to me because I have all quality stuff in chappals which comes from Bangalore also. I have nice models as well. Mainly, I have all the models that they want. So, through word of mouth, sales are going well. But now, I want to start a business that is actually in demand. I am planning to open ice-cream or juice shop. There are no shops close by, so it may work out for me. I am experienced to open any type of business by God’s grace. I want to open the new business in the same shop. As This place is very familiar and nostalgic to me. I can go anywhere without any fear, even if it means leaving my family behind for a few days.
I am from Tirunelveli, Sathangam. I am a farmer. I came to Tiruppur 30 years ago. I initially joined a company job and then started my own business by saving some money. I am now in a better position. I opened this shop 30 years ago. At first, I had a grocery shop, and then I had a bakery shop. Since I couldn't find manpower, I started a chappal shop 20 years ago. Now the business is declining, so I am planning to venture into another business. All chappal shops in Tiruppur are closing down. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I haven't had any business. I am planning to start something that is in demand.
In my family, all of them are involved in business. They have an iron shop, a grocery shop, and a departmental store. Most of them have come from a farming background.
I started working at the age of 13. I must have worked in at least 10 shops. I used to be in each shop for 1 or 2 years. I received training and then I started my own business.
I decided to open a chappal shop. When I had a bakery shop, somebody else had kept a chappal shop. His business was going well, but he could not manage the business. So, I bought it from him. I earned money from this shop.
I learned about business. Since I started working from childhood, the owners used to teach me the tricks of the trade. They taught me how to interact with customers. I learned everything from that training. We have to learn to do business from the ground up. Whatever you learn in your early days will help you succeed in the future. Now, business is becoming more challenging. People are demanding things by looking at the internet. We may have something in our shop, and they may ask for something else. So, it is difficult to do business. Earlier, when we didn't have what they asked for, they used to buy whatever was available. We can also earn well.
I selected this location because construction work was taking place, so I asked them for this place, thinking that I could open a shop. They were constructing a warehouse. When we told them about the shop, they constructed it accordingly. This is a busy area with a lot of foot traffic. It is a good area for business.
We have a peak season. We get good business during summers. Normally, the business is good for 5 days a week. Earlier, the business used to run well. Our daily sales used to be 10,000 rupees. Even on Sundays, the sales were 3,000 to 4,000. But now, the business is dull. So, I want to change the business. When sandals get worn out, people mostly try to buy new ones in summers. After the rainy season, when summer starts, they like to change their old sandals.
Customers come after they decide what to buy online. They ask for a specific item, and we provide it to them. However, they often show us what is available online. When we inform them that we don't have the exact same pattern or design, they simply leave, wasting our time. This leads to a lot of disappointment. Even if we show them a product that matches their expectations, they may ask for a different model. Customers often come with photos, but they don't show the photo right away. Instead, they first ask us to show them the latest model, which we do by displaying everything we have. Then, they specifically show us the photo and request a particular design or model. At this point, we immediately understand that they have not come to make a purchase. When we inform them that we don't have that specific model, they leave and it negatively impacts our business. Additionally, if I am selling a product for 320 rupees, the same item is sold online for 240 rupees. Therefore, customers prefer to buy online. More than the price, design is the issue.
When I open the shop in the morning, I clean up the shop, light the lamp, take blessings from God, and then start my business. I light a camphor, pray to God, and close the shop.
My son is there to help me run the shop. He is going to college. After he comes back, he goes to the shop and I go to the market to get things.
Even when I give jobs to people, they don't work sincerely. When I was working, I used to think that I should earn money for my employer and also build a good reputation. Additionally, if I were to leave the job and return to the village, I used to fear that my parents would scold me, accusing me of leaving the job for some wrongdoing. They used to strictly advise me to only go there for temple functions or marriage ceremonies. Nowadays, the people who come to work have mobile phones and they keep talking without working. If we assign them a job, they become angry. No matter what we say, they refuse to listen to us. They interpret everything in the opposite way. I used to have 6 shops before, but now I only have a single shop.
Business is dull now. When I opened this shop, there was no other shop nearby. But now there are at least 15 additional shops. The customers who came were also simple. They used to buy whatever was available. But now they have the choice to go to another shop.
Whoever (customers) comes to me is sent by God. They are God themselves, even if I sell for only 10 rupees. Once they enter the shop, it is earnings for me. It is not a loss for me. That's how I always think. They are from the nearby area. 7 to 8 years ago, people used to come from a distance of 10 kilometers as well. There were even people who used to come from a distance of 45 kilometers. There is a market here. I used to have 3 footwear shops and I had a large stock worth around 15 lakhs. Now I only have stock worth 2 to 3 lakhs. If the business was good, I wouldn't have considered changing my line of work. Because the business is slow, I want to change my business. If there was a guarantee that the business would improve tomorrow, I could invest an additional 10 lakhs rupees. But there is no point in investing money.
I did not have to advertise at all because my sales and turnover were good
Customers come to me because I have all quality stuff in chappals which comes from Bangalore also. I have nice models as well. Mainly, I have all the models that they want. So, through word of mouth, sales are going well.
I have regular customers. For the past 6 months, I have been informing my customers about the closure of the chappal shop. I am also reducing the stock intake. The racks are empty and look odd, so I have removed them as well. The customers started asking me, so I explained to them the reason for closing down the shop. I am displaying the limited varieties that I have. As a result, the sales are also decreasing.
When a new customer arrives, I should welcome them warmly. When I had a grocery shop, I used to call them "annachi" (elder brother). If they are ladies, then I would call them "akka" or "amma". Since this is a chappal shop, I address them as sir. So, when they come, I first greet them by saying "vanga", which means "Please come". Then I inquire about their well-being. I mention that they haven't been coming to the shop for a long time. Even if I had met them a week or 10 days ago, I would still say that it's been a long time since we last met. Then I show them the models.I am courteous, and they feel happy about it. If we try to sell items with a frowning face, it will not happen. Even if we give them the items that they want, it would be like a machine dispensing things. So, it is always good to welcome them with a pleasant smile. When they enter the shop, it means money for us. They are walking on the road, so why should they come to us? Even if they purchase something for 10 rupees, it is profit for us. This is something that I learned in my childhood from my owners. They are gurus for us. I only completed my education till 6th standard, so all the shop owners whom I worked with are my teachers. But the present generation is not ready to learn from us. Earlier, people who worked under me are well off. But for the past 5 to 6 years, the people who come to me are not ready to listen. They choose the wrong path. As a result, these people have not succeeded in their lives. However, the people who worked with me in the beginning have started their own businesses. They thank me for guiding them. I am 53 years old, and my own shop owners are all 80 and above. But still, I remember them fondly.
I would feel very bad when customers leave my shop dissatisfied. I would try to entice them by suggesting what would be ideal for them. If it is a lady, I would say that this sandal would look nice on her feet. If it is a man, then I would say that this sandal would fit well for him. We cannot sell anything without talking. It would be great if we could just show one or two items and they would buy them immediately. But it may not give us a sense of selling an item. Only when we compliment them and sell the item, it is satisfying for us as well. Some ladies ask whether this sandal looks good on their feet. We should also try to praise from our side, only then they would agree to purchase.
We give discounts, it depends. Some people go without discounts as well. If we feel like reducing the price, we would reduce it and give them the discount. We must be making a profit of 500 rupees, so we can afford to reduce the price by 50 rupees and sell that item to them. There are a lot of nearby chappal shops. All three shops had a chappal shop.
Now, customers have started bargaining. Earlier, they never used to bargain. We, on our own, reduce the price because we feel guilty. Even if they don't ask, we have to reduce the cost by at least 20 to 30 rupees. People have started having the mindset to bargain now. When they go to big shops, they don't bargain. Wherever I go, I tell them that I have a shop and it would be appreciated if they could reduce the price. If they say it is a fixed rate, then I don't get into bargaining mode. But today, many people try to negotiate. If 100 people come, 90 of them try to reduce the price.
There are other shop owners who have a chappal shop. I ask them about their suppliers. If it is the VKC brand, we have the article number. We can ask for the number and they will send the pieces to us. VKC is a branded item, so they will have all the same items. They give us a catalogue and we can also order through that. I trust them because we have a good relationship. [shows the catalogue] These are all provided by the company. They take our name, phone number, and if there is a new article model, it will come to us directly. We ask them for new models, and if they have them, they will send them to us. I buy through a sub-dealer. We can find a sub-dealer with the help of the article number. I buy at least once a week. We can look for more varieties when we go to purchase. They will also respond by phone, but the product may not be the same. So, it is better to buy directly. Sometimes we will not get size 7. If we want extra pieces in size 7, we can specifically ask for them.
When we buy chappals, we look at the weight, then we fold them and see. With that, we can determine the quality. Sometimes, when we try to pull the straps, they may be slightly loose. We will also come to know that at that time. We prefer to buy fresh items; they usually don't give us old pieces.
I had to return the items. If it is old stock, then they would not accept it for return. If it is within a month, then they would take it back. Some chappals break easily, like biscuits. They may look good but are not flexible. If we keep the chappal without using it, this would happen. Otherwise, we can use it for 5 years as well. It should also receive water and sunlight. If we keep it without using it, it will get spoiled because it is made of chemicals.
When I return the stock, they will adjust the balance. This is 500 rupees [shows]. It looks good, but if we try to pull it back, it might break. It also leaves color. If we keep it in the box for a long time, it will become like a biscuit. If we keep using it, we can use it for 2 to 3 years as well.
We buy the number of pieces based on the size demand. Sizes 8 and 9 are in higher demand. It also depends on the area. In this area, they ask for size 8. If we get it as a set, we buy extra pieces of sizes 8 and 9. We buy 1 set of 10, 1 set of 6, and 1 set of 7.
Wholesalers have a fixed price. They don’t give offers. If we pay in cash, we would get an extra 2 percent discount. Suppose we are buying for 10 lakhs; we can go and buy more. Usually, we buy stock worth 1.5 lakhs in a month. In a year, it is 18 lakhs. But now it does not sell even for 30,000. Sales are low. It should at least sell for 5000 in a day for us to afford it. We will get a profit of 1500 rupees with a 30 percent profit margin. If I get a 30 percent profit, I would earn a profit of 1500 rupees. Even if I spend about 500 on rent, I can save 1000 rupees. If it sells for 2000 rupees per day, then I would only earn 600 rupees, which would be a loss for me. My expenses come from the income I earn from the shop. My turnover would be very low. So, it is not affordable.
Wholesalers send the stock in a van. If I order today, I will receive it by tomorrow.
I have accounts from about 15 to 20 years ago. However, I no longer record the sales. If we sell 4 sets, we will know how much we have earned and what our profit is. We will find out about the income and expenses on the same day. We write it down in a notebook. We record the purchases we have made, loans taken, profits earned, and expenditures. I have not been using a computer for billing. They ask us for a bill, but I tell them that we don't have bills. If they insist on a bill, we write it on paper and put a seal on it. A computer is required, but I did not complete my education.
There were staff members who worked with me properly. When they looked into my eyes, they understood my needs and immediately asked me what work they should do. While I was working, if anything fell down, even before my owner bent down to pick it up, I used to go and help him. Even the people whom I had hired earlier were like that. They now have separate shops. All of those who worked hard are running their own businesses. However, those who were with me for the past 5 years are not doing any business. They keep changing their jobs. If I gave them extra money, they would go and drink. But the people who were with me earlier never used to take any extra money. They were happy with whatever I gave them. The pay was less in those days. So, even if I paid them early, they would say that they would take the money later when they came back from their village. But nowadays, they take extra money and run away.
We have PhonePe. Before that, I used to take cash. It has been 4 years of using PhonePe. During the demonetization time, many people came for business through PhonePe. Customers also used to say that they didn't have cash and they wanted to use PhonePe. I missed a lot of customers because of this. Then, I decided to go for it. I don't trust anybody and I don't even lend my phone. I have asked many people about this. But we have to trust somebody and move on.
I give credit/loan to good customers. We give them credit. Some return the money, and some don't return the money.
When I run short of money, I ask people whom I know. Sometimes, I pledge jewels and take a loan. During Diwali time, I take stock worth 5 lakhs rupees.
If the business goes well, we can take a loan. However, if we simply take a loan and keep the money in our house, it would be a loss.
Nearly 10 years that I have been using a smartphone. I don't know how to use it, but I have.My children taught me how to operate the smartphone. They are well-educated and have obtained double degrees. If we have a small phone, they don't respect us. I don't know how to use it, but my children insisted that I buy one.
Suppliers are available on WhatsApp. They share new models with us.
When the money is credited, I check my SMS. I have an app, but I don't know how to check in the app.
We get fewer customers because most of them purchase online. People benefit when they buy online, but it is not the same for shopkeepers. Even I also purchase online. I recently bought a shirt and pants. The actual bill was 1500 rupees, but I got it for 900 rupees. The quality was disappointing for me. The fitting was not okay. When we go to the shop, we can choose our size.
Whatever I have done is a success for me. I have not wound up any business in 10 days. But if the item is not seasonal, then I change. The business was running well with a grocery shop. Then, with no people to help, I switched to the bakery line. I started using cylinders. It was in high demand, and I could not continue with it. Then I opened this chappal shop. Till date, it is a success, but if I continue like this, then it would become a failure. That's why I wanted to change my line of business. For the past 2 years, I have been thinking that the business would come up. There is no development, which would also be a waste of money. So, it is better to change the business. I have already waited for 3 years. Each day, I am losing 1000 rupees. I have to earn at least 30000 in a month. If I don't even earn 1000 from my business, it is a loss, right?
I have never approached anybody for business ideas. I am used to it from the beginning. Even if I want to open something, it depends on me. If my family members say no, I am not going to listen to them. My son has a different idea. He is studying in the business field, so he may open something of his own liking.