Soundarya

I am S. I have completed my Grade 10. After my marriage, it has been 14 years since I came here. It's been 2 years since we opened the shop. We already have a franchise that has been running for 8 years now, and I was taking care of that. So, in this line, there is no other shop like this with this idea. I started the shop here. On Sundays, we will earn about 30K, and on the other days, we earn around 20K. The franchise is locked because there is no one to take care of the store. We only open it in the evenings.

I opened this second business because there were a lot of fancy items there, so the store was doing fine. Here, there is no grocery store nearby. On Sundays, there will be a huge rush here, so that's why we decided to open here.

We had decided to open only a grocery store because there are all kinds of other stores here, such as fancy items, oil, and clothes stores, but there was no nearby grocery store. So, we thought that if we keep one here, it will run well. My brother had already opened a grocery store and he told us that there is no grocery store in this lane. He said that if we open one, it will run well. There was another store nearby, but there was no one to manage it as the owner was old. He actually asked us to take over, but since this area was on the main lane, we decided to open our store here.

I started this business, "The Fancy Bag," selling handbags. Previously, I used to sell sarees and other fancy items from home. However, we made the decision to open a physical shop instead. My mother, who is from Tirichandur, also had a fancy shop there where she sold fancy items and slippers. When my brother came here, the sales declined. In Tirichandur, the sales were seasonal, but here they are consistent throughout the year. Therefore, we decided to open our shop here.

I didn't have any fears when I opened the shop because we had already wanted to start such a store, so we were already familiar with everything. So, there were no such fears. The only thing I was scared about was the rates because they keep changing all the time, which was a little confusing for a month. Later on, I started to note the rates on a daily basis and began checking and recording them. Other than that, it was all easy.

We had to take the investment from outside only. Other than that, we had some savings, but the fancy store was just a few stores next to the shop, so it was easier to maintain them both.

We have peak seasons around festival times and on all Sundays. Additionally, there is a market that is set up on the same land, in the empty space over there, and it becomes full on Sundays. There is usually a lot of rush here, making it difficult for vehicles to come in. Therefore, people who are buying vegetables will definitely come and purchase items from here. So people around 4km, 8-10 km away from here, they will come and purchase everything and go.

Some customers who generally buy for Rs 200/ or so, some buy for around Rs 2000/ and leave. I will keep the stock, so I will make sure everything is stocked, like from online and other sources, I will buy and keep everything stocked by Saturday. The other days will be as usual.

If someone sends the order through WhatsApp, then we will send the bill through WhatsApp. Some customers send the items through delivery, we will check them and deliver the items to their place. We provide door delivery. On Sundays, we will make deliveries. Most people come to the store and buy items. However, there may be two or three people who would send their order through WhatsApp. We will send them the order and the bill accordingly to their house.

The evening time from 5:30 onwards will be very busy. We won't be able to answer the phone either. Evening, the people who have finished work and people returning from school will definitely come and buy stuff. So before going back home, they will buy all the necessary items. There are a few companies in this area where people get off the bus and go home, so on their way home, they will just buy items and go. We also have sales early in the morning. If we open around 5:30 AM, there will be sufficient sales. We are also trying to find a house nearby so we can open the shop that early.

I will take leave once every 15 days. On those days, if there is a bill, then I will definitely open the shop. Otherwise, the workers may take leave at some point. Without a doubt, I will take a day off once every 15 days.

People mostly find out about the shop through word of mouth. We don't have any ads or anything. It's been 2 years since we opened the shop, so how people communicate with each other, through that we get customers. Rates will be reasonable. So, we have items of both first and second quality. For example, the pulses will be available in both first and second quality. So there will be an item for Rs 190/ and the same item will be available for Rs 150/ as well. Based on my customers, I will give them the first quality only, so they will use it and give good reviews accordingly. We don't circulate any ads or anything. During the festival time, we may have some offers going on, like for a purchase of around Rs 2000/, we will give something for free. It's been two years, and I have brought out offers at least two times till now.

For us, the suppliers themselves come here, they see the board and come. Others hear about the shop from each other and come over. Shakti Masala and Ujala don't come. Anil, Aachi, and all of these brands are there. Items that I don't get from vendors, I buy them online or from the market, such as Big Basket or Dunzo. The prices are reasonable because they are based on market rates. If you buy in bulk from Jiomarket, the rates will be different compared to buying a single quantity. When it comes to Dunzo and Big Basket, they have the same rates. The rates are reasonable, so it's not a problem.

If a new customer comes, we try to make them our regular customers based on what we say and the rates. We have to show them the quality of the products at our store and convince them. That's all. So, they will visit other shops and come here. There are a couple of huge wholesale stores nearby, and they will see the rates there and come. Some people may not like the quality, and some people just ask for the rates. For example, if they want around 2 times, they will inquire about the rates of at least 50 items. Sometimes they may want a particular item that is not available, so we will buy and keep it specifically for them. If we give them what they ask for, they will definitely come again next time. We should be friendly and talk to them. We must not be harsh towards them. Sometimes they may ask if we have a family, so we have to answer them as well. They will call and ask us for the items. There are 4-5 customers who call and place orders. They may visit once every 4 months, but the bill will come every month. So, we will deliver the order, collect the cash, and come back.

In order to decide what to keep in the shop, I consider different factors. Firstly, I keep a maximum quantity of items that are in the medium price range, as these are popular among customers. Additionally, some people specifically ask for higher priced items, as they believe that lower priced items may have lower quality. To cater to these customers, I set aside 5-6 items that fall into this category. Ultimately, I base my inventory decisions on the specific demands of the customers.

Since I have already worked in such a shop, and I used to go to my brother's shop earlier, selling the items was not an issue, and it didn't take long to understand how to operate the shop correctly. I had to know what kind of customers come and what kind of items they demand, which I was supposed to know, and that took around 3 months. So, after people started coming regularly within 3 months, I came to know about them. Some people would come once or twice and then wouldn't come back. Some people would come and see the items, so I got to understand all of that. I learned what they were buying and what kind of items they were asking for. For example, some people would ask for Semiya, and they would ask for a specific brand. By knowing that, I would come to know that this particular client would ask for this brand only.

The experience of running a fancy store over there is very different from this one. In the fancy store, you have to display all the items and let customers select what they want, then give it to them. But here, you have to give customers whatever they ask for. So, if I had any doubts, I would ask people around. In this area, there are a couple of grocery shops, so I can find out if any new items have arrived in the market and what the prices are. In the fancy store, customers have to search through the whole collection of fancy items just to buy one thing, but here we need to give customers whatever they ask for.

I don't use the system at all. For that, I had to walk around from here to there, so it was difficult. Also, for the system, I had to keep someone specifically to work on it. In the beginning, I thought it would be easy to maintain the stock on the system, so that's why I bought it. However, I couldn't find a person who could operate it. Additionally, it was a bit difficult for me to go back to the system, get the bill, and then come all the way to give it to them. Then, I had to come all the way to collect and give the cash.

Customers will ask for discounts if they purchase for around 2K. If there are any discounts available, we may give them biscuits or chocolates.

Customers are like that; they won't leave. They will inquire about the rates and point out that the rates are different from other stores. For example, a product may be sold for Rs 13 there, but here it will be priced at Rs. 15. Customers will mention that there is a difference of Rs 2. This could be because the item is in higher demand there than here. Some people understand when we explain, while others don't. There is nothing like that the item will sell off in the end. I will calculate how many items will be needed for that week accordingly. So, if I take something for Rs 100, it will come down to Rs 75. Therefore, I will get only 10 pieces. Just because the rates will go down, doesn't mean I will get 15 cases, as I would incur a loss of Rs 25. I won't do such a thing.

I can't do anything if customers aren't satisfied. Every customer will be different. There are customers who will buy some items, and for a while, they will buy from us. But after some time, they will stop coming completely and start buying from another store. However, if they are not happy with that store, they will come back here. If there is a rush, they may want to get the items quickly, but it will take time as there is a line. They might go away and get it from another store. Even there, there might be a rush, so they may come back to us. They have done this during festival time as well. However, I haven't encountered any rude customers, and we haven't been rude to anyone either. They will generally call or come back after an hour to collect the items. Sometimes, they will want us to deliver the items to their house, so we will deliver and then receive the payment. Some people will send the bill and go to work; they will instruct us to send the items to their house, where someone else will receive the delivery. Alternatively, some people will give us the bill and keep it ready in the evening, so that they can come back from work to collect it. we need to maintain accordingly, as the customer demands will be different on different days. Like today, we have a bill. He has told us to pack the items and deliver them by 8:30 at night because they will be home only by then. They gave us the bill in the morning itself.

So, I don't think anyone around here is fine with the home delivery. So, right from the beginning, we had given the ad and mentioned specifically about home delivery, that's why maximum customers are coming here for that. Someone at home will go and deliver, or maybe someone will be there to help, and there will be a person who specifically comes for home delivery in the evenings, so we will give it to them.

In the last 2 years, the number of customers has increased. Generally, one or two customers have stopped coming. However, they expect a significant difference in the rates, which we haven't addressed much. Therefore, if we engage in wholesale at a large scale, it will affect the rates for the customers. There are one or two shopkeepers who come like that. It is because of the items. Even if there is a slight dissatisfaction related to the item, I simply return them. I no longer keep them. I will keep them clean most of the time, as and when necessary. So it's about cleanliness, and once we deliver quality products, the customers will also be satisfied.

Returns: I haven't received anything like that. Sometimes, they may have accidentally purchased something else, so they will ask us to exchange the product. Definitely, we have to accept returns. It depends on their personal choices as well.

If there’s a new brand, customers ask when they see the Ads, they ask for that product itself.

With suppliers, I will only buy it if there is a customer inquiry, so even if two customers are asking, I will buy and keep the item. Maybe 3-4 pieces of that product/brand.

We always buy the items requested by the customer. Specifically in this area, whatever they are asking for, we will purchase and keep in stock. If they come asking for a specific brand, and if we suggest something new, they will definitely not buy it. That's how the people here are. Mostly, I have seen it like that.

Quality of the item. These are the items we use at home as well, right? So it's the same. When we see the product, we get to know the quality. So, whatever the customer asks for, we will get it for them. Even if we say that the quality won't be that good, they won't listen; they will still buy it according to their choice, as they must like it.

The discount is from the company's side only. If we buy this many kilos, we will get this much offer. Then, we may give customer offers. For example, if you buy Sambar powder, then Idly podi is free, something like that.

The discount will be available on the product itself, sir. It comes printed on the packaging. So, in larger shops, they may remove that free item as well. But in our shop, we will give it to the customer and inform them that this particular item is free with this product.

There are certain items for which, if they supply the products now, we have to pay them in a week's time. For some, we have to make spot payments. Masala items may require spot payment. However, for items like oil, we can pay by the next week.

Maybe 1 or 2 of them we weren't able to sell. In the beginning, around 10-12 pieces of the product were sold, but I purchased 25 of them. As they expired, I had to throw them away. There was wastage in the initial stage.Most suppliers don't accept returns. However, some items can be returned within 15 days before their expiry dates. Unfortunately, we have overlooked the expiry dates of certain items, resulting in their wastage. Now we have started maintaining it correctly. We check the dates accordingly. Sometimes the supplier will give us items that are already 3 months away from the expiry stage. In such cases, I simply return those items back to them. If we don't pay attention to all of this, it will be a waste for us.

Earlier, I had two people (staff). Later on, we appointed salespeople depending on the sales and how the shop business goes. Based on that, I decided to employ more people.

That all depends on how the staff will be. It depends on the training that we provide. Some people may not have any experience with a grocery store at all; they may only know different items present at home. Based on that, we employ them. If we have experienced people, then it’s a plus as they will pack very quickly. They will also know the rates beforehand. Otherwise, we give them training.

We find staff by spreading the word, putting up a notice board, so that people can see it and come to inquire about work. So, if we teach them and they are able to understand, that is more than enough. They should know how to read the bills. I will teach them how to pack the items. If it's 0.25 Kg, they have to pack it like this, if it's half a Kg, then like this. So, it's all easy, not that difficult.

To know how to trust that person, I will first ask where he is from and where he has worked. We will gather all those details to get to know him. There are many people who have worked in a shop for four days and then come here asking for work. However, they leave after 4 days and go. There have been such people before.

Till now, there have been fully permanent people here. Some have stayed for a whole year, some just 6 months, and some just come for four days and go away. In this field, no one sticks to a particular shop permanently. If we provide them with food and shelter, maybe they will stay longer. If they get a hang of things around here, they may go ahead and open a shop of their own.

So, I have no problems with selecting and giving the items to the customer. But sometimes, they may ask if I can pick up the rice bag and put it in the car, and that's when it becomes difficult for me. Otherwise, I don't feel the effort. If there is an extra person with me, then while I look for items, the shopkeeper can handle the other customers simultaneously, and they don't need to wait for that. We only need people in the shop for those 3-4 simultaneous customers.

I have maintained a simple notebook for the staff. If they have asked in advance of Rs 100/, I will note that as well.

The payment options that I offer to customers are limited to cash and Google Pay. I do not provide credit to anyone. Occasionally, if there is a small amount left, like Rs 100 or so, they can pay it the next time. However, if I were to extend credit for larger amounts such as Rs 300, Rs 500, or Rs 1000, and note it down, we would not receive the payment later. It is possible that the same person may visit another shop the following month. Therefore, we have made the decision not to offer credit. Mostly when the customer says that the Google Pay isn’t working, then for that I have the card machine here.

If it's a Tuesday, we know that this particular supplier will be there for the collection. So, if there is Rs 5000/- to be collected and I have not had that much of sales, then I would just pay 1/4th of the amount and tell them that I will pay the remaining next week. For the next person, I will divide the money accordingly and keep.

I didn't do it, someone from the agency came over and added that to Google Maps. I opened it suddenly and saw the shop with the picture on it.

On Youtube, I will see what items are available in Bangalore and Chennai at lower rates and related to the designs.

If there are North Indians, they may not understand, so they will search for the item on Google. and show us the items or tell us about them, and we can search and see. I didn't know about Poha, but I have heard of one or two items. In the beginning, they used to ask for some items, and then I would search for them on Google and show them the photos. There will be language problems like that. I know Telugu and Malayalam to a certain extent.

So, most of the time, the types of items we keep are liked by everyone. For example, Beedi items are popular among Bengalis, as they bought 10 packets yesterday. There will be different items that they will like, so I will buy all of those and keep them. They also bought 10L of oil yesterday for their festival in Bengal. They bought all of that and went home.

So, in online purchases, if there are any offers, they will be included in the group. A list of items will be sent by the customer, which we will receive through WhatsApp. Whatever our requirements are, we will send the items across through the bill.

In online, the quality won't be good enough. When the rates are higher, it will ensure the quality, but sometimes, even the higher-priced items are not of good quality.

Online, I buy around 25% from Big Basket or Dunzo. Offline, it is around 75%.

Trust and faith are most important priority while doing business.

The quality given to the customer must be the best to take the shop to the next level. We have added another section for rice and other items.

Say there is Rice, we only have 4-5 in quantity. We need to get more in quantity and from different brands. If you see any soap items, we need to buy whatever is available. The space is limited, that's the problem. The space is limited. I don't have enough people to help me with arranging a lot of stuff in the front side of the shop.

If I am able to satisfy the customer, that's enough. Whatever they ask for, I must have it and be able to give it to them.

There are a few business associations. If any issues are raised, we will reach out to the association regarding them. There was a meeting held 2 weeks ago. They will ask if there is an issue, if there is a problem. If there is an issue, they will take care of it accordingly. There is an office.