Friday, June 25, 2010

Walmart..............

Freinds,
I would like to write on Walmart today.Nothing much to write but some of the important aspect where India needs to buckup.
Well, we all know Walmart name if we are in stock market even atleast in India.
It is a big Super Store where one will be able to find everything one wants and when I say everything , it is everything.From electronics like TV, Ipod, mobile etc etc to flour of wheat, sugar etc...everything.You have not to go anywhere for buying anything else where.......That is the trade mark of Walmart.....
But one thing that catches your eye, is , anything you buy from Walmart,you can return in 15 days and get the money back.No questions asked......Can one believe this?I have seen that myself..........
There is a sepcial counter for returning things....if there is big line then one more person will come to collect that and give back your money...if still more line,there will be 3rd counter to deal with it.....
You just retrun it at the counter and you get the money back..................is it possible in India?Aree....ek bar le liya phir bat khatam.......the shopowner will make all excuses if we go back to return the thing we purchased , even if we will go immidiately.....and here they give 15 days...to return it back....and no questions asked.....
That goes for any store like Best Buy(electronics), JC Penny, Belk(both cloths wear),or any shop...you just go back after 2-3 days or even after a week and they will take it back and return your money......
I would like to write here specifically that, they return your money after you have open the wrapper or seal of what you bought.You have already used the Laptop or PS3 or Ipod and still you return it back to them and you get your money back.........that is called Satisfaction Gaureented......That is the trade mark of whole America.......The whole business work like that way.....in USA......
That is amazing ..isn't it?
Do we think there is any chance it can happen in India?
But if Walmart will come in India, it will happen........and the day Walmart will come...all small shops owners and big shop owners will be closed.....because if Walmart comes and if people can return the thing if not satisfied and will be taken back without any question...who will buy from elsewhere?
There is lots of Online store from where one can buy anything.....but I will talk of Amazon.com.....
Buy anything from Amazon and return back if you are not satisfied and get the money back....No question asked....and when I say, No Questions Asked, it means in REAL........
Let me give you an example....I bought Gillete, Fusion Power replacement Razor cartridge.....from Amazon.com ...some 2 cartridge of 8 packs each and when I used just one of it, I found it was useless....it was not working as smooth as it use to as the trade mark of Gillete and I wrote a message to Amazon and I got the  money back in FULL.....I have not send the cartridge back as it will cost me for postages...it is still with me ......but I got the whole amt back........But as the Fusion Razor cartridge was not good, it is still lying with me as I have not used it but without sending those items back, I got the money back.......
Now will that happen in India ?
There is a big difference between India and USA.....and that one has to understand that.Ours is SELLERS market while USA is BUYERS market......
Why is ours a SELLERS market?Because the demand is more then the supply....we have big population and the supply is less....so the shopkeeper always know....if you will  not buy someone else will buy......so he don't cares for you....but in USA , consumer is the KING.
What can happen when a country having a population of 130 cr goes out to buy something  like  at Diwali etc....there will scarcity of things rather then supply......so the shopkeeper knows it very well, if a thing is not sold for the whole year, it will be sold in Diwali.......so why he has to worry about it.....
It is good that we took pride to be an Indian, and I am also a true Indian, but we need to learn what we need to....we can't look through Nelson's eye for what we want to ignore........
We lacks in many ways....and where we lacks, we need to learn from others ....we can't keep on singing the tune...Mera Bharat Mahan....untill we take out the most dangerous Monster named....CORRUPTION...
I can't imagine what India can achieve if there is no Corruption........Corruption is just like in our blood and we don't mind it .It is everywhere.If one is caught violating traffics rules  and get caught, one always knows that if one will give 20-50 rupees, one will do aways with it.......that is the problem.....one has to give bribe for doing the right thing.......jo sach hai wahi karna hai...uske liye bhi paisa dena padta hai....have you ever heard like that......but that is a  fact in India.....
The big difference between India and Western Countries is , there is no day to day hassels for a common man.....he lives in peace.....here for anything you wants to do....going to any government office, and your whole day is gone..maybe 2-3 days more and still the work is not done...and if one dole out some money , it will be done immidiately.....
That is what India needs to eradicate.......Corruption has now become as big a problem like illetracy........
Jago India Jago......Come out of the hoodoo of blaming USA for everything.......we always speak negative of America......learn what is good what USA does...taking care of their citizen....and that is what is Important......

17 comments:

  1. Rajeev,

    What ever you have said is 100% true.

    Recently, I purchased a car here in Ohio from my friend. The title transfer and issuing of License Plates took hardly 2 mins. I mean, even if you stand with a stop-watch in your hand, time will not exceed 2 minutes.

    This was a case where none of us knew how to transfer the car title. Completely Hazel-Free

    That piece we are missing in India mainly due to crowd. More competition for everything.

    Also, regarding Walmart, I exchanged trousers 3 times. The policy on the receipt said "Un-Conditional Return".

    Hopefully we will see it in India aswell.

    Regards
    Prashant

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  2. Wow Rajeevji, you have done it again. Amazing thought provoking post.
    -Dragonbhat

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  3. thanks sir for the superb informations...

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  4. Rajeev Bhai,

    Kya thinking tha :). Awesome analysis. Really liked.

    I am from Bangalore, here ministries made lot of violation of traffic rules and to them no one ask them why, police wala pushes public only to make rode clear for this traffic violator corrupt politicians.

    "if a thing is not sold for the whole year, it will be sold in Diwali.......so why he has to worry about it....." : LOL ;).

    Thanks for your effort.

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  5. Rajeev in my college days one of my friend said this to me that in USA one can return things back to the shop owner and they don't deduct any money for the portion that was used of that goods. That time it did not matter much to me as in college days one is not mature enough to think and praise such thing. But after many years you have reminded me that thing. Really great and this time I do understand the importance of this.

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  6. All,

    Other advantage of accepting the product back is, if a person has to finalize the deal/spending/purchase, he will think many times if he really needs the product.

    But, if you allow customer to return the product back, he does not spend much time in thinking about his needs and he will grab as many products as possible and go home. Then, if he really dosen't need it, he will return product back.

    So, there is more probability that out of say 5 products, 3 will be sold and two returned which is even better.

    Also, there is another psychological advantage.

    We can categorize any product into
    1. Must Need product
    2. May need/May not need
    3. Don't need.

    This can be understood by the following example

    Case-1.
    If I do not have any footwear with me, then if I see a footwear in a shop, I will tend to buy it immediately. So it will fall under Must Need category (1)

    Case-2.
    If I have 2 pairs of foot-wears, and if I see the same product in the shop as in case-1, I will not buy it immediately. I will probably re-think and I may buy it later. So, it will fall under May need/May not need category (2)

    Case-3.
    If I have 10 pairs of footwear, then if I see any footwear product, I will immediately decide not to buy it. So, this will fall under Donot need category (3).

    Allowing the customer to return the product will make the category-2 (May need/May not need ) into (May Need).

    That sells the product faster.

    But this works only when the profit of selling 3 units faster and taking 2 units back is greater selling 5 units slowly.

    I have seen people here who have used utensils/TV/Electronics for 2-3 months and returned them and took advantage of return policy.

    In that case, selling 5 units slowly may prove profitable.

    I may be wrong here.

    So, we may have to wait and watch what happens in cases where there is a huge demand.

    Please let me know your comments on this.

    Regards
    Prashant

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  7. Rajiv,

    Did you notice in America that people always stand in queue in public places like a post office, a movie theatre etc without being told or disciplined by someone? They never ignore a person who is already standing in a queue. In fact they ask you whether you are in queue or not before taking up a place in front of you. Oh! Indians can learn many things from not only America but also from several European countries and cultures. Did you notice how some of our Indians in America abuse this refund policy? Even before buying an article, they know that they are not going to use it permanently but still go on to buy it just to use it for a few days, only to return it to get the full refund? And this is done by our “well-educated” people. In spite of my strong protests, a group of my friends watched Cricket World Cup 2003 in Dell LCD Projector which was bought from Fry's Electronics. The cost of the projector was around $1,000 at that time. They never had any intention of using it. In fact they decided to return it even before they bought it! Since anyhow they have decided to return it after the World Cup, they have bought the most expensive one. And the combined salary of the group of people was more than $25,000 per month. Every one in the group is “well-educated”. In my opinion, if Walmart introduces in India exactly the same return policy as practiced in America, it will surely go bankrupt. Because Indians will not just use the return policy; they will abuse it.

    Besides corruption, which is commonly quoted very frequently in India, in my opinion, the root cause for India’s problems is the mentality of the Indians. Poverty is cruel and pardonable but poverty of thinking is inexplicable and degrading. Nobody needs to insult Indians. They insult themselves all the time.

    We have stopped thinking as a nation a very long time ago. Otherwise how could British people rule us for over 250 years? As shown in our third-rate movies, India was not divided by the British. It was already divided long before their arrival. Otherwise, how could Muslims from some minor Middle East kingdoms, who were thrown out of their own countries, reach India in search of a shelter, go on to establish some of the largest and long lasting empires here and rule the country for over 700 years? At that time India was the prime destination of every aspiring entrepreneur and investor across the world. Everyone dreamed to visit India once to buy its products to sell them in his own home country for a handsome profit? A group of rich aristocratic people took permission from the British Queen to do trade with India, raised money among themselves to float a company called "East India Company" with proper allotment of shares among themselves, did trade with India and distributed profits in the form of "dividends" some 400 years ago when there was no stock exchange on the face of the earth. India was, what USA is today, in comparison to the other countries of the world --- the Top Destination. It is ironical that today’s top destination was found accidentally on the way to yesteryear’s top destination.

    Where did we slip? God only knows. India had either lost its identity ages ago or is still searching for it. Ultimately it is the people who make up a nation; not the rivers and mountains, nor the forests and the deserts. And it is the people’s mentality and morality that make up the fabric of a nation. When we talk of corruption, we have to keep in mind that a nation ultimately gets such a government which it deserves. And a government gives its people only that kind of an administration its people really deserve.

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  8. It would be interesting to know that Dhirubhai Ambani got very much worried when Anil was born because at that time, with his meagre income, Dhirubhai was hardly able to feed even Mukesh properly. So he bought a buffalo so that Kokila Ben would be able to earn some supplementary income by selling its milk and they would be able to feed both. How much they have earned! From where? From this very society. They have not earned it from some outer space; nor they brought it along with them when they were born into this world. They just earned it from this very society. This is a thought that is being accepted by a few rich people in the West. “Okay, let’s give something back to the society from which I have earned all this”.

    Just compare Bill Gates and the Ambanis. Both had similar, humble beginnings. Ambani brothers both put together have more than half of what Bill Gates has. But they did not give even a one-hundredth of what Gates donated. It is shocking to know how much was given by Gates to the poor. Until 2007, he has donated $28 Billion. That means, Rs 1,26,000 Crores! Or look at the amount donated by Warren Buffet who started life as an insurance agent! Or Rockefeller! In fact Bill Gates got inspired from Rockefeller. The figures are just mind-boggling. And mind you, the percentage of their donations is not small compared to their assets. In Bill Gates’ case, it is more than 30%. It is like somebody giving away 4 lakhs if he has 10 lakhs worth of property or giving 40 lakhs away if he has 1 Crore. It is not that easy. We, Indians donate Rs 150-200 towards a flooring tile in a temple or a community marriage hall and spend another Rs 50 to carve on it, "Mr A and his wife Mrs B have donated this in memory of their parents Mr C & Mrs D and Mr E & Mrs F". That typically reflects our mentality.

    What are Ambanis doing? Fighting like two street dogs while splitting the fortune which was left by their father. When I read about their Court tussle, I remember Leo Tolstoy’s small story “How much land does a man need?”. I say to myself, "Thank God, I am not stinking rich!".

    Until about 100 years ago or so, in India many rich people used to donate money to construct schools and hospitals in backward areas, dharmasalas at important pilgrimage centres etc and for other such purposes not only with the fear of paap but also with the intention of acquiring some punya. In recent times, the rich never seemed to care for either paap or punya. They are busy amassing their wealth. Since its independence, India’s wealth must have grown by more than 100 times. Have the donations for social cause grown 100 times? No, they have not. As the businesses of Indian businessmen are growing wider and wider and acquiring companies in other countries, their minds are getting narrower and narrower. Just show me a single donation of more than Rs 1000 Crores in India in recent times. Why am I writing more on the donations? It gives a very good insight into the psyche of a nation. Just think of the impact on the mind of an average American when he reads in the morning newspaper that Bill Gates has donated $28 Billion for the social cause! Essentially it means an American is showing concern for fellow Americans. That is the idea. That is not existing in India. Ancient India was far more civilized and cultured than modern India with its satellites in space. Please don't think that I hate India.

    Let us hope that some towering, astronomical figure, a saint (like a Vivekananda or a Gandhi, or a Buddha) will be born again in India to wake up this nation of "slaves" from its long slumber of slave mentality.

    Let us not forget that this is the nation which taught the world how to meditate. Let us not forget the fact that this is the nation which blessed the world with the mantra
    लोकाः समस्ताः सुखिनो भवंतु
    five thousand years ago when the civilization has not even opened its eye from its infancy in the other parts of the earth (except a few pockets like China and Egypt).

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  9. Krishna,

    I respect your views.

    Especially, your views on discipline in public places and about giving back to society.

    Centuries ago, people in this country had great faith in GOD. That acted as a CCTV camera on every one all the time.

    So, till the West came up with industrial revolution, we did not bother to even think about machines.

    In the West, of course people behave in such a way that others are not disturbed.
    But, if some one makes a mistake, they have a strong technology to trace the culprit and punish.

    But, now we neither have faith in GOD to avoid mistakes nor the fear of technology.

    Everyone is well convinced that the chances of being caught for offence is very low.

    In such cases, it is hard to control people.

    Ok, I will not write anything after this comment for this topic.

    -Prashant

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  10. Rajeev when Coffee Day was launched in india, they publicized that even if the customers do not buy anything they can still sit in their shop for any time they want to. This was done because they thought if someone sits for hours in the shop he will atleast buy something as it happens in USA. But people in india started taking advantage and they just used to pass their time and leave without buying anything annoying other genuine customers. This forced Coffee day to stop that policy in india.
    If walmart comes to india they might first give a try in few cities to check if it really works in india. I think they won't give that return back offer in india as it will affect their business here.
    But then yes this is a shame on us and a loss for our country as this could improve customer satisfaction in india as well but might not happen because of our irresponsible behavior.

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  11. Krishna,
    Nice write-up. This is what exactly that I argued here in this blog sometime back. India was not what it looks today. It was forced to this situation by foreign powers. Today we are considered un-civilized and we don't follow queue and take advantage in coffee shop(my example above), etc etc. The same was the condition of americans and britishers earlier. Today they have money so all kind of civilization they follow, if tomorrow we become rich we will also behave in the same manner. You can see many rich people in india are well mannered. I agree that our behaviour cannot be justified because of this and that's why wrote that coffee shop example. But then may be after 50 years or so some americans/arabs might be discussing the same about their citizens and giving examples of india when we takeover them.
    But I liked ur thought about the donation, I normally like write-ups with spiritual contents very much, some spiritual boost to the mind. "How much land does a man need", likewise how much money does a man need ? then why increase the score card mindlessly.

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  12. Share,
    Again you are seeing the things wrong way.No one can force anyone......It is the character which shapes the things.If we are strong , mentally , who can force us......that are lame excuses....We lacks in character and moral.....that is the bottomline...I again write to you....stop thinking blaming others for our situation......
    This will help you in big way....in Life as well..No blame game..

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  13. some how i disagree your view on Ambanis, its their property or money and we as society in no position to expect something from capitalist, there are lacks citizens employed because of them, and thousands of small business are running based on them and everybody including their company are paying huge taxes to government. Its spider network now and its indirect contribution is helping country. In fact they do have good contribution towards society, education, hospitals, technology revolution etc...

    i highly respect both Gates and Buffet for what they did and only few people in a world can do this but it doesn't mean that all rich people should do same.. right? yes Ambani's dog fight is not good but in joint family, it is pretty much expected one day or other.

    its just a different thought dont take any hard feelings... ;)

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  14. @Krishna

    good comparison ie ambanis vs Americans.
    @Rajeev
    Once We reuested you not to ban the reader's feedback.If u closed the gate then
    how could we see the excellent entry of clear thoughts of the writers like Krishna... blog
    has reached in different and unique dimention.thanks.
    Sir , I have a doubt that is not related to the core of ur subject.Anyway may I ask..
    What is the position of retail system in U.S.
    IS this strong as seen in India? There are about 4 lakhs retail shops in India-SO we can easily calculate 30 lakhs people directly rely on this system for their daily survival.indirect employement is extra.If Walmart and other big guns firm their foots in land what will be happened to our retail chain...That is why I enquire into the retail system of US.

    NB:(All we hear the rumours how existing big names in india Played on Sugar within last 6 months.)

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  15. I am not sure if this is true, but I hear that Walmart is able to accept goods in return mainly because -
    1. It improves sales as a lot of people buy thinking they can return it later, but laziness never gets them to the store.
    2. both retailers and sellers have heavy margin - so even if some products are returned, the maintain thier profitability.

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  16. Muthimani,
    You are talking only of Walmart.I have given examples of Amazon.com as well where the prices are very less......same goes with each and every store...like I gave examples of Best Buys, JC Penny, Belk store and many more....and remember, the branded cloths sold at JC Penny ,Belks , Kohls and likes are much cheaper then sold in India!
    Returning of anything goees for everything in USA..We need to stop finding excuses and look in the right direction.....In India also there is 300% or 400% margin.....we all know that..what is the product cost and at what price it is sold....

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  17. KK,
    You asked about the retial business and there are lots of Dollar stores...like say, Dollar general,Dollar Tree etc etc.where one gets even branded things at cheaper rate.
    Ofcourse , retails in India gives more employment to people and India needs that as well, but that shouldn't be an excuse for cheating the people and giving below stadard things.
    That is my point....that the standard is so high in USA for selling things that if customer is not satisfied , it is returned back and hence we use to see many exported cloths etc returns back of Cos exporting it to USA.
    WE are good in IT only and hence our BPO services flourishes...and we are actually doing excellent here but where is the export of other goods?The quality is not maintained .. it is maintained for 3-4 months and then it become poor and the Co ends in termination of contract....
    WE need to be consistant..that is the bottomline but we become careless..which is also seen in our Cricket team...we won one match with big margin and the very second match we lose....we don't want to put hard labour...everyone wants to make money the easy way and the easiest way to make money in India is taking bribe and giving bribe and buying lands oe mines at cheap rate etc...As Gary Kirsten rightly said for our cricket team , we lack in focusing.....we become careless.....we don't wants to be in deciplin...we lack in deciplin..

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