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Tamil Nadu
Poor people resort to ingenious ways
Limited choice: A poor man at a provision shop in Srirangam.
Reality bites hard. Battered as they are by the spiralling prices, low and middle income group families struggle to reconcile to the predicament of a life of austerity.
They are gradually shedding inhibitions to stand in lengthy queues in ration shops to get their share of rice, sugar and other essentials. Those who are still not prepared to go for ration rice, settle for broken rice (kurunai) in the groceries.
The broken rice of fine quality ponni rice costs Rs. 10 lesser a kg and the middle class see ingenuity in sticking on to the taste even while keeping their budget under control, according to T. Kalyana Rao, proprietor of Subiksham Groceries, Srirangam. Similarly they also cut down costs by settling for other essentials that do not tick the hole in their pocket.
For instance, those who used to spend money on twin blade now prefer cheap quality single blade. Many have stopped buying shampoo, points out Mr. Kalyana Rao.
The chain reaction is getting apparent. Grocery shops in middle class localities are taking the hit. Mr. Rao says that the turnover has gone down by 30 to 40 per cent. “I used to do business for Rs. 1.8 to Rs. 1.9 lakh a month before the price rise. With cost escalation, the turn over should have touched Rs. 2.1 lakh mark if the volume has remained the same. But it has slid to Rs. 1.4 lakh and Rs. 1.38 lakh over the past couple of months”, he says, explaining that a long term solution to the price rise is not likely until online trading of commodities is banned.
Some of the grocery shops which were selling only quality commodities have opened the sale of commodities of ‘not so superior’ quality, thereby providing choices for the consumers to fit their bill. For instance, edible oil and rice are the two major commodities forcing the consumers to bear the brunt of inflation. Obviously the traders market at least three varieties in each of these commodities suiting the customers’ economic affordability.
Any slightest margin in the price tag goes in favour of the customers.
This is particularly witnessed at the wholesale market where, the per kg price of rice or pulses or edible oil is down by at least Rs. 2 to Rs. 5. ‘We make bulk purchase of the commodities at the wholesale units as part of our austerity drive. We have no other alternative’, says Zaibun Rahman, a housewife.
The inflation trend has made the middle class people to turn towards Chinthamani Cooperative Supermarket, where the grocery and cosmetics are sold at prices less than the maximum retail price, thanks to the direct purchase made from the companies itself.
The initiative of the Chinthamani has come as saving grace for middle and lower income groups.
“The supermarket was enjoying good patronage from all sections of the society till a few years ago. However to our utter surprise we have been witnessing a considerable decline in the sale proceeds for a few years now. We are happy now that many of the old customers are steadily returning back to us. We have registered 40 per cent hike in the sales turnover in the month of July compared to the previous month”, says a senior official of the supermarket.
Rising to the occasion, Chinthamani in the city has taken up emergency measures by moving fair priced rice, pulses, edible oil and other grocery and cosmetics to all its branches and fair price shops under its jurisdiction. “We have started marketing the grocery and cosmetics through the about 320 fair price shops in Tiruchi, Srirangam and Manapparai taluks for the benefit of the consumers. Some of our branches in the city are functioning on Sundays too”, he adds. This view was endorsed by Esther, a housewife of Sundararaj Nagar on Pudukottai Road. “Earlier we were purchasing products only in the supermarket. Later for the last few years we were making the purchases locally. From this month onwards we have once again started purchasing from the supermarket as we can save some money”, she says.
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