Do you spell a supermarket as a large, brightly
lit, air-conditioned, expensive grocery shop?
Well that was a definition of the past and
its time you changed your mind. These 3,000-
to 5,000-square-foot self-service stores
stock a wide range of groceries, snacks,
processed foods, confectionery, cleaning
and personal care products, and cosmetics.
They house national and international brands
and a number of regional and specialty brands,
as well as their own brands of prepackaged
dry groceries. Many have small bakery sections,
and some are experimenting with fresh produce
and dairy products. Frozen foods are a regular
feature as well. But with their affordable
rates , outstanding customer service , and
high level of hygiene, these markets are
here to stay.
Pune’s forty-lakh populace is in a state
of flux, overwhelmed by a proliferation of
hi-tech retailing and its attendant services.
Once it was just the sprawling Dorabjee or
the well-accommodated Chandan store. Today
it is a dazzling array of supermarkets and
departmental stores that are fast mushrooming
to woo the Puneites. It’s the return
of the Pune shopoholic who once raced to Mumbai
to spend the mega bucks! Come, let’s
shop! |
