Sagar

We keep all kinds of grocery and cosmetic. We keep everyday household items- also face wash and so as well as light kind of everyday use cosmetics. And also rice and pulses- we also keep biscuits.

I wanted to start a shop because I didn't want to leave my parents and go anywhere for a job. So, when I have a shop, I can stay with my parents and earn money. I feel the need to do something in life, and in the past, my grandfather also had a business. Nobody in my family has ever had a job, and my father has never worked for anyone.

Starting a grocery shop was my father's idea and we started keeping edible stuff which is why my shop is also called as Annapurna stores.

When I built my shop, there were no flats, and my father decided to invest in this land we purchased. That's why we chose this location. Actually, my father had seen this area developing, so he decided to buy here, and other people were also buying over here.

For me, the customer is the most important. If there are no customers, then everything else is meaningless because if I don't have customers, what am I going to do with the rest? What is the point of acquiring goods from the vendor if I don't have customers?

The stuff that my customer is going to get from me - and for me, the next important thing is the goods from the vendor because if I don't have things taken from him, then I cannot get customers.

Every area has its own distributor here. In Asansol, they have divided areas for different distributors, and they have employees who come to us to see whether we can sell certain items or not, and whether there is viability in selling certain products. Based on that, we take items accordingly. If we feel that we cannot sell something, then we don't take it from them.

We have a few distributors who come and ask us what we require. Sometimes we purchase things from the wholesale market. I buy spices from the wholesale market, and from the distributors, I buy cosmetics, phenyl, hand wash, and biscuits. There is no specific segregation, and for some items, we depend on the distributor and have to see what they are offering. This is because there are different types of distributors - one might have Harpic, another might have Good Night liquidator, someone else will supply biscuits, and another distributor might provide chips. We have different distributors, and all of these items are very important for the shop. They call us, and their employees, who are area-wise distributors, also visit our shop.

For wholesalers, we build a relationship and we like to go to the same place afterwards. Even when you make a purchase, you must go back to the same shop. If your father has been going to a particular shop, you will perhaps go to the same one, and that is how relationships are formed. There is nothing else that I can add because this is a natural process. If I find out that the rate is different, then the decision can change. But generally, there is no such issue.

Boys who work for distributors come to our shop, and they will also have to make calls to us because that is a very important part of what they do. So, they call us, and if I feel that I can sell what they have, then I get it to the shop. They call us and come with all the items, asking us if we would like something new. They tell us to give it a try because sometimes the products are good, according to them. I will have to worry about the cost because if it's a new and very expensive product, then I am not sure if people will buy it.

If I see customers asking for a product or if they are interested in a product they saw on TV, it's because people are watching YouTube and TV advertisements, which prompt them to come and inquire about our products.

I keep an account of the dues. They are simply slips of paper and we try to pay them back as quickly as possible. We don't really write down small amounts that often.

Because we are old customers, we don't have to make the payment upfront. If the amount is large, then we can pay in installments. You can make a partial payment, and this is something they support - distributors also do this. They might send us the products first, and an employee will come after a few days to collect the money from us. This is the kind of facility that we get. If I have taken something for a thousand rupees and I only have Rs 200 with me, then I can pay the rest later. Even if I cannot pay all of it together, I can pay a small amount the second time and the rest later on. The second time, I can pay 200 again, and in the third installment, I can pay 600 and clear the amount. This is something allowed by distributors and wholesalers. They try to give us this flexibility, and we try to pay them at the right time.

When I see that the products are fine from that wholesaler and I see that the price is also okay, then we try to get everything from that dealer. You might go to the shop which is very close to your apartment first because it is nearby, but later on, you might come across someplace with better prices and a clean environment, and you will choose to go there. So it is a natural process. Not only will you shop there, but you will also recommend others to go there if it is such a great place.

There is no point competing with online business because we cannot compete with large-scale businesses. There is a difference in price because I will get a different rate when I buy in bulk compared to when I buy only five pieces. Besides, there is company support - I might get Britannia biscuits from a distributor, but large-scale players will get them straight from the company. The rate will be different when it passes through so many hands! That seller will get all the benefits, whereas if a biscuit packet is priced at Rs 40, I might get it for 36 rupees and sell it for 38, giving a 2 Rupee discount to the customer. However, this is not happening with the other large-scale seller because they might be purchasing it for only 20 rupees and selling it for 22 rupees. When the customer sees that they are getting an 18 rupee discount, why would they come to me? But I have also heard that the products sold to them are very different from the ones that come to us, but I do not know the entire story.

Basically, after the COVID-19 pandemic, online shopping has become quite rampant. People prefer to order items online and have stopped coming to the shop. This has affected not only our business but also the clothing and cosmetics industry. Everybody wants to buy clothes online, whereas earlier people used to go to the shop. Currently, there is a lot of hustle and bustle due to Durga Puja. However, after Durga Puja is over, you will not see this crowd. I can say that online shopping has really disrupted our business.

That also happens, and sometimes the customer forgets to bring money, so they give me something in advance, and then they come back and give me the whole amount. I will not give this facility to everybody, and not everybody in our distributor market gets this facility from wholesalers and distributors. But if a customer has been coming to me for the last four or five years, then I have to trust them. No, we cannot give this flexibility to a lot of customers because the position of the market does not allow this kind of facility, as our business has suffered due to online shopping, especially impacting small shopkeepers like me.

Regular customers come to the shop, and some of them call up and tell me that they are not at home. They ask me to pack the items, and they will come and pick them up later. They may be somewhere else when they call, but they come to the shop later on. They don't message; instead, they call because I don't check my mobile that often.

I need to determine what will sell and whether I will be able to sell it or not. For example, for this product that is usually used in large quantities, I will have to buy at least 10 kilograms. However, this morning I had the first customer who only wants 50 grams, and I know that nobody needs such a small amount except for Pooja's requirements. Since this morning, I haven't had many customers. Maybe there will be a total of ten customers throughout the day, which means that only 500 grams will sell and the rest will spoil. If I have a couple of customers asking for the same product, then I try to bring it because I know it will sell and I see that people are searching for it.

Shop is there on Google Maps, and once somebody had come to us to take down the phone number. The name of the shop is already there in the front, and they also wanted to know what time we open and what time we close. However, I think that happened 6 or 7 years ago.

Distributors prefer cash, and they told me that they have accepted UPI payments in the past. However, they don't know how to confirm that with the distributor. If they receive cash, they can directly hand over the money to the distributor. The boys who come to us from the distributor cannot inspect the money that is with the distributor himself, so they prefer taking the payment in cash from us. This is why I prefer taking cash, even if it is only 4000 or 5000. If I receive UPI payments in large numbers, I will have part of the money in cash and part of it in online transactions, which will divide my total available amount. I will not have the entire amount in one format. For example, if I have only 200 in cash and 400 in online transactions, I will not be able to make a purchase of 600 if I want to. However, if I have the entire amount in cash, then I can!

I had a UPI QR code, but now I don't want to use it because it is very important to have immediate transactions and it's important to receive payment right away. Not everyone likes to use UPI payments, and I also don't use it very often, which is why I don't prefer to accept payments through UPI. I prefer to accept cash from customers for this reason. Sometimes, when the distributor's representatives come, they cannot determine whether the distributor has received the payment or not. In such cases, they advise me to pay in cash, so I opt for cash transactions. I have that option, but we don't use it, and only a few customers use it. I basically tell them that I prefer cash transactions because I will not be able to operate without cash. If I don't have cash, how will I buy products for the shop? I have used UPI, but you see, I don't receive the payment in my hand. If some representatives of a distributor come to me and ask for cash, then I will have no cash with me. If I tell them that I have online money, they will not agree to that, and I will need to make a payment. If I don't have cash, then how will I make my payment?

So to find my shop, you only have to take a few steps. I cannot really offer anything exclusive that Google Maps cannot help you with. I don't think I can make my presence felt on Facebook or Google Maps. There is nothing that I can put on Instagram or WhatsApp. What I have is very normal and everyday, and you can find it in any mall or in Big Bazaar. You can also find it in other supermarkets. It would have been special if I had made some unique kind of food, and then maybe people could have seen it on social media and come to me from far away. I could have used Facebook to draw attention to my special kind of food. If you walk just two steps away from my shop, you will find another shop just like mine. So, I don't think there is anything special about it, and I don't see why it is important to put it on Google Maps either. The only thing is that people can see my shop in a specific location and use it to come here.

There are groups and distributors who send the message in the group. They tell us that we could take a look at the new product and if there are any changes in the price of any product.

Customers might send me a message, and the distributor tells me about new products using WhatsApp, and yes, that is basically to see the product. They have my number, so they send me the message, but I don't use it for anything else.

I check if customers want that product and if there are advertisements on TV, as well as if people are demanding that product. People asking or searching for products will give me a hint, and then I stock that.

At night, I review the total sales and make calculations to determine whether it is 5000 or 6000. This helps me determine how much I can spend on purchasing more stocks for the shop. If I have sales worth 7000-8000, I try to allocate amounts like 500 for repayment and use the remaining funds to buy additional products. This is necessary as I need to purchase from both the distributor and the wholesaler to maintain stock. Although I don't write anything down, I am aware of the amount of money in my cash counter. If I don't have enough money, I won't be able to keep track. Therefore, I ensure that I keep the money in the cash counter so that I can easily monitor it.

Distributors take it back if there is any defects in the products. I have the mobile number and I give them call. If there is some breakage or there is a hole or damage then they take back the material. There is a fixed day for redressal of such problems and they come on that specific day - they tell us to keep the returnable items ready and they pick it up that day.

In the last 3 years, you can see that the price of everything has increased significantly. You must have also noticed that when you buy things, the prices have increased a great deal. Previously, with 10,000 rupees, you could purchase items for 2000 rupees. However, now you have to pay 4000 or 5000 rupees for the same item, which is causing a lot of problems for people like me who depend on daily purchases by others. If we don't receive money from them, it will cause problems.

There can be no competition between me and online shops, and there's no point in thinking about it. They are on a large scale, and the difference is too significant for us to match. To match that difference, you would require a lot of money. I am only going to invest a hundred rupees, while they are going to invest 10,000. Tell me, what is the difference? If I have a crore, then and only then can I match the investment that they are making, and then we can talk about it.

I simply do not like online shopping. The reason for that is that I might have been providing service to a customer for 12 years, and all of a sudden, they switch to online platforms. Even though I was providing some convenience to this customer, they still choose to go online, and because of the online presence of businesses, our market has been damaged. Earlier, we all had small shops, and all those small businesses, including clothing stores and grocery stores like mine, have been affected. You can even buy mobile phones online. Companies are supplying products both online and to physical stores. All these people need to make money somehow, otherwise, how will they survive? That's the reason why I don't like online business. However, for my personal use, I will definitely benefit from online shopping. It would be beneficial for the shop if we could add something online, as many people would come to know about that addition. Our shop is quite old, and the people around us are aware of it. Apart from that, all I want to say is that I don't support online shopping.

If there’s some app that will help me with my business there, then I will obviously look because there are so many applications. You can also create your advertisement on Facebook, but at the same time, I feel that there are so many shops just like mine and I don't have anything exclusive. So, I am not a specialist in anything which makes me unique and people will come to me for that. If it were something edible, then I could have thought about using methods of publicizing. I could be the only person creating some fantastic food item, but I am not doing anything like that. But of course, I will see what kind of facility I am going to get with the application, and then I will deliberate whether I should use it or not because I will benefit from it.

I kept Himalaya because it's a herbal product and it's good. I use it myself and I find it very nice. It's a very old company. I have seen a Himalaya shop in Banaras and I saw hordes of Japanese, Chinese, and Korean people buying many Himalaya products in large numbers and taking them back to their countries. They must have considered the quality before purchasing, and they are not the kind of people to buy something just like that. Why were they purchasing only Himalaya products and not something else? So, I think it is good for us as well.

The reason that I have kept cosmetic products is because they are daily use items. You use face wash to wash and clean your face, and you will definitely need soap as well. Everything you see here is for everyday use, and there are also some items that children will need every day. This is why all these products are kept in the shop, and that is the purpose of having them in my shop. It is very common to use deodorant as well, and if you step out of the house, you will need it. There is no specific thought behind it! These are products that I use every day, and I am sure others also require them on a daily basis, so they will demand them from the shop. It is not solely based on customer requirements; I decide based on what I require and what I see. If you look at the products here, they are items that you need every day. For example, there is face wash, and you might be using a different brand, but you definitely must be using face wash. You will need one tube per month, so we keep monthly and daily use items. You must also be using deodorant and baby cream.

I don't want to go and source products from anywhere else because I have been doing business with that distributor for a long time. I would like to continue working with them. Although I tried switching to online, I realized that my business wasn't performing as well. I want to return to the distributor who supported me when I had no money. The other distributor will not provide me with that benefit because they only understand the language of money. They will only provide me with products if I pay, and if I don't, they won't! Why should I go back to them? I will work with the person who helps me, and that's why I prefer cash transactions. I want to go back to the person I have benefited from in the past. I have been running my shop for 12 years, and online transactions only started 4 years ago. But I was doing business with someone before that, and how can I leave them and switch to another style of doing business just because of online transactions! Everybody does not have the same kind of thinking and I would like to follow my own instinct and do business with the person with whom I am more comfortable and whom I find more reliable.

It could be due to various reasons that I am not using Google Pay or UPI. For me, it's because if I don't have cash, I won't be able to conduct my business. That's the only reason why I prefer customers who can pay in cash. I have no interest in doing online business, similar to Reliance Market. I feel like I have suffered significant losses in my business because of them, and I will never engage in business with them again.

There are few distributors, of course, who do online transactions. If I am doing business with somebody and he does not do online business, I might have to change to another distributor, which I don't want to do. I want to buy the products from a particular distributor because it's a business understanding. If I go somewhere else, I will be at a loss, and there is no specific reason for that. This is the manner in which we transact. The basic reason is that there is an issue with the Google pay the distributors, and we cannot pay them in any other way but cash because they refused to take online payments. I would like to take products from him, and even if I have money in the bank, I will not be able to take it on this. I have cash.

I only use Paytm. That was the first payment method I started using, and after that, there are many others like Google Pay. Of course, there are also many other UPI payment methods, but I don't want to use anything else. I tell my customers that I will not be accepting any other payment methods. It's a small city where cash transactions are more common, and in larger cities, it is possible to use other methods. Even distributors prefer cash in their hands and do not accept online payments. They don't take online payments, and small distributors prefer cash because they also have to make payments. So, we prefer to work with cash, whether it's 50 or 200 rupees or whatever amount - we want it in cash. If I have to buy something, then I will have to pay in cash, and not everyone here accepts UPI.

If customers tell me right at the beginning that they don't have cash, then I will ask them to go to another shop. It's okay if it happens once in a while because we really need cash in our hands. This is not a big city where transactions can happen online. In smaller towns, you have all kinds of people and not everyone has UPI. Many people also require cash as a result. Some people have to send demand drafts as well.

I accept UPI payments only sometimes! Sometimes, a person might have a cold drink and may not have money - so at that time, I cannot just let that person go, and I decide to take UPI payment.