Shopping in bangalore can be an activity in itself. Consider the traffic, the parking and then entering the stores to find what you want. This is mostly about my experience picking a mixer grinder that works in the US - the 120v difference. It's not an unknown, the big showrooms are known to stock these, although the choices are fewer. Makes my life easier!
So it was the Cromas, Pai, Vivek, Giria's and the others. There were only two options for the 120V requirement. The first few stores did not have one on display and it was about going to the storage to get one, which meant had to visit them the next day. All I wanted was to see it, and considering the lack of options it was not a difficult choice. I found the stock in one store, asked them a few questions; warranty, can you just check if its working before I buy it, and what all are included in the box. The last question was easy as they opened it up and we found it out that time. But the first two question were like..not sure about warranty, if there is a problem, you can bring it back to our shop. eh? exactly the sound that came out of me. I am buying it so I can take it to the US and you tell me I should bring it back to your store on Marathahalli Outer Ring Road, Bangalore? even if i make it to bangalore airport reaching your store will keep me from wanting to get it repaired.
The second question, can you please check if its working before I buy it. boom!! They were like no, we cannot do that, we don't have the adapter. He also mentions that he has customers who have picked it up earlier and no one has got it back. haha. oh yes! no one got it back because its probably not working and ended up in their garage or the its that lucky owner for whom it worked. I did not buy it. I was just unsure and could not make up my mind to buy something that the salesman was only telling should work.
On another note, I happened to be visiting Trichy, a personal trip. As we had a few hours on hand, we decided to check the small town center there. Went through the wholesale market for onions and garlic, then the small, narrow lanes of hardware and steel utensil stores, and one small round about and that was the town. But we also heard about this one store akin to the famous Saravana's of Chennai. Mangal was the name of the store. located in a narrow market crowded, crowded lane. Had a feeling that whole of Trichy was out shopping that day.
Mangal is a four or five storey building housing all home goods. All kinda of utensils, in steel, alluminium, plastic and all that. Even an area for items required for religious rituals and beauty products. It was crowded like an annual shopping even that is only on that day. Found the mixer grinder. The lady behind the counter was as traditional as interior TN can get, the ash on her forehead, the turmeric on the face, the hair plaited. She asked if we were interested in buying and will give us the details and a demo. We just said yes. She explained everything from the manual to the power changes in India and the US, how to use the grinder, its capacity and tips for best results and how to clean it and also the discounts we can get, the freebies with it and at the end of it she said, if you want to buy it I can open a new piece and show it to you and she also said she will power it on and show us that it is in working condition. In awe of a job well done, she really knew the product she sold. A SME to say the least. No questions asked, I had nothing more to ask. She picked her power converter, connected a new grinder and showed it to us. Impressed. she was very good at her job.
Considering the crowd in the store, they had a very different billing system. You pick an item and hand it over to the billing and they hand over a colored slip with the amount and a code, you take it to the payment section and pay it, they will then handover a similar colored receipt, then you walk over to the pick up area and hand over the receipt and there you get your purchased item. All floors are are color-coded in terms of billing.
Its a crowded place but a very satisfying customer service. The other surprise, there is a Saravana stores very next door. It has around 4 floor and all the things exactly like I mentioned for Mangal. But then, literally there were only 3 people shopping in the whole store. Wonder why?
It's not about having a well organised big showroom with well dressed salespeople. But all that matters is how well you know your product.
So it was the Cromas, Pai, Vivek, Giria's and the others. There were only two options for the 120V requirement. The first few stores did not have one on display and it was about going to the storage to get one, which meant had to visit them the next day. All I wanted was to see it, and considering the lack of options it was not a difficult choice. I found the stock in one store, asked them a few questions; warranty, can you just check if its working before I buy it, and what all are included in the box. The last question was easy as they opened it up and we found it out that time. But the first two question were like..not sure about warranty, if there is a problem, you can bring it back to our shop. eh? exactly the sound that came out of me. I am buying it so I can take it to the US and you tell me I should bring it back to your store on Marathahalli Outer Ring Road, Bangalore? even if i make it to bangalore airport reaching your store will keep me from wanting to get it repaired.
The second question, can you please check if its working before I buy it. boom!! They were like no, we cannot do that, we don't have the adapter. He also mentions that he has customers who have picked it up earlier and no one has got it back. haha. oh yes! no one got it back because its probably not working and ended up in their garage or the its that lucky owner for whom it worked. I did not buy it. I was just unsure and could not make up my mind to buy something that the salesman was only telling should work.
On another note, I happened to be visiting Trichy, a personal trip. As we had a few hours on hand, we decided to check the small town center there. Went through the wholesale market for onions and garlic, then the small, narrow lanes of hardware and steel utensil stores, and one small round about and that was the town. But we also heard about this one store akin to the famous Saravana's of Chennai. Mangal was the name of the store. located in a narrow market crowded, crowded lane. Had a feeling that whole of Trichy was out shopping that day.
Mangal is a four or five storey building housing all home goods. All kinda of utensils, in steel, alluminium, plastic and all that. Even an area for items required for religious rituals and beauty products. It was crowded like an annual shopping even that is only on that day. Found the mixer grinder. The lady behind the counter was as traditional as interior TN can get, the ash on her forehead, the turmeric on the face, the hair plaited. She asked if we were interested in buying and will give us the details and a demo. We just said yes. She explained everything from the manual to the power changes in India and the US, how to use the grinder, its capacity and tips for best results and how to clean it and also the discounts we can get, the freebies with it and at the end of it she said, if you want to buy it I can open a new piece and show it to you and she also said she will power it on and show us that it is in working condition. In awe of a job well done, she really knew the product she sold. A SME to say the least. No questions asked, I had nothing more to ask. She picked her power converter, connected a new grinder and showed it to us. Impressed. she was very good at her job.
Considering the crowd in the store, they had a very different billing system. You pick an item and hand it over to the billing and they hand over a colored slip with the amount and a code, you take it to the payment section and pay it, they will then handover a similar colored receipt, then you walk over to the pick up area and hand over the receipt and there you get your purchased item. All floors are are color-coded in terms of billing.
Its a crowded place but a very satisfying customer service. The other surprise, there is a Saravana stores very next door. It has around 4 floor and all the things exactly like I mentioned for Mangal. But then, literally there were only 3 people shopping in the whole store. Wonder why?
It's not about having a well organised big showroom with well dressed salespeople. But all that matters is how well you know your product.
