A new dawn
Rough draft of a poem after ages:
a hot and high delhi night
one dreams dark are made of
follow it must a new dawn...
a mild wisp not a breeze
thats sways dry tree leaves
a sky blue of fake clouds
a shimmering hue orangesque
hopes of a mild sun streak
the dogs are restless
the crows are harping (or whatever crows do)
the dog feeder a simple man
the tea stall owner a poor man
the paper is hauled
the pots are watered
a growing hustle of morningers
few are up to relax and run
most bound by demands of work
my view is biased
perched i am 3 floors up
an eagle atop the tower opines
is he right or am i?
Musings on the Indian retail user experience
Note: This was not my first time at this or any supermarket in Delhi; I have been around!
Around 8 pm tonight I realized we had run out of a bunch of basic grocery items. So I head down to the nearest supermarket/grocery store called More to buy stuff - you know milk, fruit, etc. With great disdain I pick a basket to carry the 6-7 items in my hands. Disdain, why one may ask? Well the sporty orange baskets were very dirty - they had black grime on all of them at the base and the handles had some sort of black greasy patches - and yes my hands were dirty after I used the basket!
With the few things in my basket, I headed to the front of the store to pay for my items. I had to scratch my brains to figure out where to stand. 2 of the 3 counters were staffed. At counter 1 (far left) there was a family of 3 being helped followed by a couple waiting in tow. Counter 3 (far right) was a sight worth beholding - first there was an elderly couple who had paid for but still had not received all their bags, then there was a woman and 2 noisy kids who were being helped, with a single woman waiting on the left of the counter (i guess she was hedging her bets on which counter would be available first) and 2 women waiting on the right of the counter. In effect, counter 3 had a semi-circle of people around it - no line....Still trying to think which counter to focus on I was standing exactly in the middle (at the unattended counter 2) behind the couple at counter 1. Suddenly from behind me came a haughty and well endowed Punjabi woman - 2 kids in tow, 2 packs of milk in one hand and tiny (compared to her size) purse in the other hand. She directly went to counter 1 ahead of me and the couple before me and in the face of the family currently being helped and the store representative. Noticing the meek demeanor of the couple before me, I tapped the woman's shoulder and said - there is a line at this counter, we were here before. She gently said - "Oh I see!", continued standing there and as soon as the attendant was available put down her 2 packets, turned around and said "its only 2 packets, will only take a minute". I did nothing in response! I wanted to save myself an argument and yes she was right she needed an express lane. But where are the express lanes? In fact where are the lanes? To conserve space, the way checkout counters are designed in modern stores in India is pathetic - they are right near the entrance with no distance between counters, in fact they are connected and do nothing to reduce crowding of users around it! Thats not an excuse for rowdy users as I just described but hey if there were properly designed lane style counters shot gunning spots would really be hard!
As I zipped back in my small car to my apartment, I noticed 500 meters from the store the elderly couple in their late 70s walking down the road - each of them holding one handle of a large cloth bag full of groceries! The bag was swinging between them as their hands buckled under the weight from time to time....The bag was like a child swinging off its parents arms...I was disheartened!! Safeway is what came to mind immediately - my regular grocery store regardless of where I lived in California was so good about customer service. Many a times when I had the push cart full of groceries the checkout clerk would ask "Would like someone to assist you to load your car in the parking lot?" - I rarely said yes, but hey many people used the assistance. I know that my local store More has phone order/delivery service. Did the checkout clerk ever mention it to the elderly couple? I doubt it. I only found out about it when I inquired couple of weeks ago. Since the store does provide home delivery and I did see a few of those delivery guys hanging outside the store - "Would it have killed the clerk to inform the couple that the delivery guy would accompany/follow them to their house with the bag??"
No such thing happens here in India. Why? Customer is not King?? I once heard the head of customer relations at a major telco say "We don't care for customer retention, with 80% of 1 Billion to target who needs loyal customers!" I was shocked at his sentiment. Perhaps, many services are still in its nasceant stages and customer service quality is not a value that most Indian users would pay for. The onus here is on the customer to be well informed - an informed user is King. However, no producer/company will do much to inform the customer. A dumb customer is far better to them!!! Same goes for a dumab voter - highly valued compared to an educated voter by Indian politicians :)
Around 8 pm tonight I realized we had run out of a bunch of basic grocery items. So I head down to the nearest supermarket/grocery store called More to buy stuff - you know milk, fruit, etc. With great disdain I pick a basket to carry the 6-7 items in my hands. Disdain, why one may ask? Well the sporty orange baskets were very dirty - they had black grime on all of them at the base and the handles had some sort of black greasy patches - and yes my hands were dirty after I used the basket!
With the few things in my basket, I headed to the front of the store to pay for my items. I had to scratch my brains to figure out where to stand. 2 of the 3 counters were staffed. At counter 1 (far left) there was a family of 3 being helped followed by a couple waiting in tow. Counter 3 (far right) was a sight worth beholding - first there was an elderly couple who had paid for but still had not received all their bags, then there was a woman and 2 noisy kids who were being helped, with a single woman waiting on the left of the counter (i guess she was hedging her bets on which counter would be available first) and 2 women waiting on the right of the counter. In effect, counter 3 had a semi-circle of people around it - no line....Still trying to think which counter to focus on I was standing exactly in the middle (at the unattended counter 2) behind the couple at counter 1. Suddenly from behind me came a haughty and well endowed Punjabi woman - 2 kids in tow, 2 packs of milk in one hand and tiny (compared to her size) purse in the other hand. She directly went to counter 1 ahead of me and the couple before me and in the face of the family currently being helped and the store representative. Noticing the meek demeanor of the couple before me, I tapped the woman's shoulder and said - there is a line at this counter, we were here before. She gently said - "Oh I see!", continued standing there and as soon as the attendant was available put down her 2 packets, turned around and said "its only 2 packets, will only take a minute". I did nothing in response! I wanted to save myself an argument and yes she was right she needed an express lane. But where are the express lanes? In fact where are the lanes? To conserve space, the way checkout counters are designed in modern stores in India is pathetic - they are right near the entrance with no distance between counters, in fact they are connected and do nothing to reduce crowding of users around it! Thats not an excuse for rowdy users as I just described but hey if there were properly designed lane style counters shot gunning spots would really be hard!
As I zipped back in my small car to my apartment, I noticed 500 meters from the store the elderly couple in their late 70s walking down the road - each of them holding one handle of a large cloth bag full of groceries! The bag was swinging between them as their hands buckled under the weight from time to time....The bag was like a child swinging off its parents arms...I was disheartened!! Safeway is what came to mind immediately - my regular grocery store regardless of where I lived in California was so good about customer service. Many a times when I had the push cart full of groceries the checkout clerk would ask "Would like someone to assist you to load your car in the parking lot?" - I rarely said yes, but hey many people used the assistance. I know that my local store More has phone order/delivery service. Did the checkout clerk ever mention it to the elderly couple? I doubt it. I only found out about it when I inquired couple of weeks ago. Since the store does provide home delivery and I did see a few of those delivery guys hanging outside the store - "Would it have killed the clerk to inform the couple that the delivery guy would accompany/follow them to their house with the bag??"
No such thing happens here in India. Why? Customer is not King?? I once heard the head of customer relations at a major telco say "We don't care for customer retention, with 80% of 1 Billion to target who needs loyal customers!" I was shocked at his sentiment. Perhaps, many services are still in its nasceant stages and customer service quality is not a value that most Indian users would pay for. The onus here is on the customer to be well informed - an informed user is King. However, no producer/company will do much to inform the customer. A dumb customer is far better to them!!! Same goes for a dumab voter - highly valued compared to an educated voter by Indian politicians :)
grandma's words
the world is yours till such time as u r energetic and high...when u r down and low u r on ur own!
7 DAY SALE @ HOT 2000 TOYOTA CAMRY SOLARA SE RED 86K 2D AT FWD COUPE LEATHER WARRANTY EXCELLENT $6750
Now selling the most good looking, super clean and amazingly well maintained car in the Bayarea: My Sporty Red Toyota Solara 2000 coupe!
This Toyota is for sale for 7 days. This is a great deal for anyone looking for a car between $6000-$8000. This Toyota is in great condition. It's smogged and safety checked and ready to go. This is a TWO OWNER Solara and it shows!!! (1st owner was a Doctor; 2nd owner is me a techie – both very good caretakers of the car).
Looks and drives solid . Someones gonna get a really nice Toyota !!! IS IT YOU?
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION
VIN: 2T1CG22P0YC321388
Make: TOYOTA
Model: CAMRY SOLARA SE
Manufactured in: Canada
Year: 2000
Body style: Coupe
Transmission: 4 Speed Automatic
Drive type: FWD
Fuel type: Gas
Engine: 2.2L L4 FI 16V
Cylinders: 4 Cylinders
Mileage: 86,000
Exterior Color: RED
Interior Color: BEIGE aka CREAM
MPG city / highway approx: 26/30
Standard options:
- Air Conditioning
- Power Steering
- Power Brakes
- Power Windows
- Power Door Locks
- Tilt Wheel
- Cruise Control
- Daytime Running Lights
- AM/FM Stereo, Compact Disc
and much more ...
Optional Features Added:
- Dual Front Side Air Bags
- ABS (4-Wheel) - Power Windows
- Power Steering
- Power Door Locks
- Leather seats
- Leather Steering Wheel Trim
- Remote Keyless Entry System
- Anti-Theft Alarm System
- Special Factory Paint
Maintenance Details:
I had Mechanic's check done in September 2008 at a Toyota dealership → theToyota inspection report is available. Car has been in garage since then and well taken care of!
I did major car maintenance at 80,000 miles so the car has brand new timing belt, drive belt, tires, battery, etc for a total of $1400 (original receipt available). All these parts come with 4-5 year warranty so you will NOT have to spend out of your pocket even if they go bad. ****Timing and drive belts have been changed at 80k m***save $$$$****
All maintenance records available!
SMOG Check certificate from 2008 available.
Registration valid up April 2009.
Don't wait on this car, it won't last long. EMAIL Now to see and test drive!
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THANK YOU FOR LOOKING :)
CLICK on any PHOTO to enlarge!
Keywords: 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Nissan Maxima, I30, I35, G35, G37, Accord, Honda, Civic, Camry, Toyota, Solara, Altima, V6, Infiniti, Suburu, Sunroof, moonroof, coupe, 2D , Auto, AT, FWD
Ridiculous statements on the frontpage of Times of India
Was skimming through headlines and frontpage of TOI when I read this irresponsible quote that shows the brain and independence of a woman celebrity in modern India. Its still wandering somewhere in the back of my mind and driving me crazy!
"Asked whether she would contest the elections if Sanjay Dutt (a star actor) were not able to do so, Manyata (his wife) said, "He has to take the decision. I take permission from him even if I have to go for coffee or dinner with friends. My priority is my family. He will decide if it is right or not right for me."
"
The original article at http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Tried_my_best_with_Dutt_sisters_Manyata/articleshow/4013902.cms
"Asked whether she would contest the elections if Sanjay Dutt (a star actor) were not able to do so, Manyata (his wife) said, "He has to take the decision. I take permission from him even if I have to go for coffee or dinner with friends. My priority is my family. He will decide if it is right or not right for me."
"
The original article at http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Tried_my_best_with_Dutt_sisters_Manyata/articleshow/4013902.cms
new adjectives to consider when defining myself
self-centered
- Main Entry:
- self–cen·tered
- Pronunciation:
- \-ˈsen-tərd\
- Function:
- adjective
- Date:
- circa 1764
1 : independent of outside force or influence : self-sufficient 2 : concerned solely with one's own desires, needs, or interests
— self–cen·tered·ly adverb
— self–cen·tered·ness noun
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-centered
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