We are now crawling slowly out of Lockdown. While Lockdown 1.0 was announced at the speed of lightning, the Unlock process is being unveiled at a snail’s pace.
The fact that we went into severe Lockdown when our covid19 positive cases were 550 and are starting the Unlock process when our all-India confirmed cases are 2,40,000 and increasing alarmingly every day should make us question the wisdom and effectiveness of the harsh Lockdown and also the wisdom of Unlocking when cases are on the rise.
Did our government change strategy mid Lockdown? Do they not care anymore? Has the focus shifted from the pandemic to politics? Or is it now all about economics? Many questions, many opinions, but all that is a blog for another day. Today, my mind is on shopping….
During the 9 odd weeks that we have been locked down [and I use this term to describe the most draconian phase when we had to stay home and could go out only for essential shopping], a few categories of shops could remain open – vegetable vendors, grocers, medical supplies, meat and fish suppliers. That was it. Everything else was shut. Online shopping was initially not permitted, and it was only later that deliveries of “essentials” were permitted. What was “essential” was completely arbitrary, for example, tinned Italian Tomato was “essential” hence deliverable.
And, yes, I know everybody’s idea of essentials is very different and while Quinoa is essential for Mrs K at Pali Hill, Sabudana is essential for Mrs T at Dadar. But whether it was Quinoa or Sabudana, neither Mrs K nor Mrs T had enough stock to last out the long Lockdown, so they both had to figure where and how to buy it. And when they found a place to buy it, they had to decide how much to buy because both supply and availability were uncertain.
“Shopping for essentials’ took on historic proportions in the last few months. It is the closest many of us will ever come to going to battle. It required planning, preparation, lists, armour (mask, gloves, sanitizer) and courage. It was not for the weak and fainthearted. It was not for the sick and infirm. It was not for the young or the old. Only the brave and the fit ventured out.
I am brave and fit (well kinda fit), and I ventured out to shop for essentials maybe half a dozen times in the last 70 odd days. Each time I went, it felt like a warzone. Wear a mask, often gloves, stand in a socially distanced line outside the store and wait for your turn. For the first few panicky weeks, we bought what was being sold. No asking for particular brands or specifics. Tea, salt, milk, pasta… Not Society tea, Tata salt, Barilla Penne, etc. Once you had your supplies, rush home, sanitize all packets, wash all vegetables and fruits, discard all disposable packaging, strip, shower and wash clothes. Not pleasant at all.
We live in Bandra, the Queen of Suburbs. I honestly believe that compared to the stories we heard from locked down friends in other parts of Mumbai, we led a 95% normal life as far as consumption is concerned. Straight of the bat, we missed only two things – alcohol [which is considered non-essential in our nanny state] and oddly, Mutton [the Deonar abattoir was shut, and remains so]. Besides this, we got everything we needed.
In no particular order, here is how I shopped during Lockdown and how the cream rose to the top.
1. The shift from B2B to B2C. One trend that became apparent was the willingness of B2B [Business to business] grocers/importers to change and become B2C [Business to consumers]. Fortune Gourmet who is Mumbai’s biggest suppliers of imported meat and cheese to hotels, restaurants and stores started to sell directly to consumers. Of course, they had conditions; a minimum ticket size of Rs 4500/- and payment in advance. We bought a fair amount from them. Euro Foods India, a wholesale supplier of all sorts of bakery and patisserie products also agreed to sell directly to us and we bought among other things, 3 Kgs of Valrhona Chocolate. I don’t know when we will travel abroad again, so buying it here made a lot of sense, and, it was the same price as we pay overseas. Several other B2B vendors established e-commerce sites and started selling online. Slice of Pink – a new and very good pork products producer [his raw pork – loin, shoulder, chops, belly are excellent] used Facebook to sell. He delivered using a combination of Wefast and Swiggy Genie.
2. Smart stores embraced technology. From sending delivery boys with credit card machines to accepting orders on WhatsApp and agreeing to bank transfers and other online platforms, the smarter stores did everything possible to reduce physical contact and ease customer interaction. Marks Cold Storage got their act together very quickly and very well. A few weeks into Lockdown 1.0 they set up a system to avoid crowding, manage social distancing and most importantly, manage inventory. Once your number was registered with them, they sent you a WhatsApp every evening with a list (with prices) of every item they had for sale. You placed your order, received an acknowledgement followed by a photo of your Bill. You go to the store, pay and collect your pre-packed order from the entrance. No entering the store, no crowding, no browsing, no wasting time. Brilliant.
3. Better and cheaper vegetables a Whatsapp away. Restaurants have standing orders with the better vegetable vendors in each market. With restaurants shut, there was suddenly a glut of good quality vegetables at our local vegetable vendor and for the first time ever, broccoli and zucchini were almost the same price as tendli and cabbage. We have eaten very, very well in the last 3 months. Lallu Brothers or Sunil Bhajiwala as they are also known, are the most famous vegetable vendors in Pali Market with a huge customer base, a large restaurant supply business [all gone now] and tremendous goodwill. They stock everything from the humble Spinach to the mighty Avocado [possibly the most expensive vegetable/fruit] and everything in between. The Brothers who own the place are hands-on and young, no one over 50. Within the first week of Lockdown 1.0 they told their regular customers not to come to the store but send orders on WhatsApp. Worked like a dream. You sent your order and it was delivered by afternoon, normally very accurately, and with no passing off substandard vegetables. The delivery man was guaranteed a handsome tip and everyone was happy. Just using WhatsApp in its simplest form, Lallu Brothers came out smiling, with equally smiley customers.
4. Quality, Quality, Quality. While the use of technology and different approaches to customer service were tried by several stores, a few decided to keep doing what they do best, with no compromise on quality. Anil D’Souza, owner of Joseph Cold Storage is a force of nature. Over the years he has grown to become probably one of the largest chicken sellers in Bandra. He has a Chinese Kitchen, an Indian Tandoori Kitchen and his newest is Joseph’s Family Table selling typically Bandra snacks [Pan Rolls, Sandwiches, Burgers, Cutlets et al]. Anil and his family rolled up their sleeves and made sure there was no drop in supply or quality. Every single day you could see a long, I mean long, line of customers, all socially distanced, patiently waiting for their turn to be served. Why? Simply because Joseph’s always has the best quality of meat! No compromise on quality, coupled with a fair and democratic system resulted in a loyal customer willing to stand in a queue. That was it. No technology at play here, simply line up and shut up.
5. The re-emergence of the local Kirana store. While e-commerce companies and larger stores struggled to get their head around the new world order and were hobbled by changing and arbitrary rules, it was the Kirana stores who were nimble and quick in getting things in place, organising inventory and managing supply chains. The star of the show, Jewel in the Pali Market Crown was undoubtedly Vijay Stores. Like their name, they have come out clear winners. This is a typical “Kirana” store. A large family of Kutchis own and run the place – many uncles and nephews. They have managed to significantly increase their business during Lockdown by remaining well-stocked right through. No technology at work here. The secret is something else. With the Lockdown and its attendant consequences, distributors were unwilling/unable to take orders from stores and replenish supplies. This resulted in shortages at the store level. The distributors had plenty of stock. To get over this, the younger owners of Vijay Stores drove to wholesalers around the city every night and returned with trunks full of supplies. These were then arranged in their warehouse near the store and enough for a day’s sale was brought out to the store. This went on till 2 am with all family hands on deck. They have been doing this every day for the last 70 odd days! Like Joseph Cold Storage, Vijay Stores too had no technology, just plain hard work in getting supplies and ensuring happy customers. Like Joseph Cold Storage, you stood in a socially distanced line and were served. Like Joseph’s, they suspended home delivery for the duration of the Lockdown.
Not every Kirana store is Vijay Stores and not every Cold Storage is Mark’s or Joseph’s. The stores that didn’t have the horsepower and drive, kept shutters open till stocks ran out and then decided to either shut till things got better or limped along with limited supplies.
So, what worked? A quick change in strategy from B2B to B2C, embracing technology, being customer focussed, ensuring supplies and quality, and, a lot of hard work. Unfortunately, several other stores that neither had the power of the youth or technology, suffered; many of them are known to us. The jury is out on whether with the lifting of the Lockdown, there will be a new normal or if things will go back to the way they were in the time BC (Before Corona). If indeed we move to a new normal, I fear stores that have not adapted are heading for a slow burn.
It’s the jungle out there, and only the strong, nimble and adaptable will survive to see AC.
Part 4 gives a great insight into how you manage slowly but steadily to walk through the Corona crisis and lockdown.
As you read further into the article you get a sense of happy feeling because one has managed to wade through the restrictions and find all the things you need from bare essentials to exotic food .
Some really cheerful moments and now waiting for the much needed help for those of us who depend on part time workers.