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So these guys apparently tapped a credit card to figure out if the card was eligible for some promotion scheme and ended up charging 10,000 to someone. They are now insisting that the customer has to buy services and not get a refund.
Customer claiming fraud transaction did not help.
I think it is fair to say that retail is struggling.
From Amazon to Blinkit, the competition is unprecendented. Nothing in the history of retail prepares us for this.
And yet, some retail stores are doing well, while many others are shutting shop or scaling down.
Each of us might have some experience and insight into retail - either as supporters, or as consumers.
In your view, the retail stores that are doing well - What are they doing right?
And the ones that are failing - What could they have tried to do?
I am very happy to share that I have completed reading the book - Tata Stories by Harish Bhat.
The thing that most stands out about the book is that with that kind of excellent raw material, it is easily the most boring book I have ever read.
Mercantile history of the world in general and India in particular, is a special interest area. I feel that traders and merchants are the pioneers of both innovation and prosperity- both essential elements for stable governance. Yet, the voice of the merchants finds little mention in history.
The Tatas have played a HUGE role in both nation building and commerce. Many stellar institutions of India owe their origin and vital initial sponsorship to this business family. Over time, they have proven themselves to be visionaries and great at execution.
Besides, I had read Harish Bhat's Linked in posts that appeared while the book was being written. These excerpts were interesting.
So, if the book was opened with anticipation, it wasn't entirely my fault.
It went from anticipation to compromise to incredible boredom really fast.
Perhaps, if he had focused on the challenges (like in the story of the air race), or used less platitudes, the book would have made for a very interesting read. To tell the reader 100 times in each chapter how each Tata was such a visionary and such a loyal patriot is a little like playing to the choir, no? We are reading the book because we believe in the importance of Tatas in our national/mercantile history!
It took me over a year to finish the book, and the strongest exertion of self-discipline.
The content was fascinating, the writing style was the exact opposite.
My review: If you are a Tata fan and can speed read, go for it. If not, pass. Have someone make bullet points and pass them on.
The only part of the book that deserves to be preserved and kept is a letter by JRD Tata to a school teacher in Bengal. He had written to JRD asking for the guiding principles of his life.
This letter, I will reproduce below, because in my mind, it stands right up there with Kipling's "If" and Gibran's The Prophet in terms of wisdom for the soul:
Dear Mr Bhansali,
I thank you for your letter of the 6th August, enquiring what have been the guiding principles which have kindled my path and my career. I do not consider myself to be an “illustrious personality”, but only an ordinary businessman and citizen who has tried to make the best of his opportunities to advance the cause of India’s industrial and economic development. Any such guiding principles I might unconsciously have had in my life can be summarized as follows:
That nothing worthwhile is ever achieved without deep thought and hard work;
That one must think for oneself and never accept at their face value slogans and catch phrases to which, unfortunately, our people are too easily susceptible;
That one must forever strive for excellence, or even perfection, in any task however small, and never be satisfied with the second best;
That no success or achievement in material terms is worthwhile, unless it serves the needs or interests of the country and its people, and is achieved by fair and honest means; that good human relations not only bring great personal rewards but are essential to the success of any enterprise.
Yours sincerely,
JRD Tata
You can also read this on the Tata website here:
https://www.tata.com/newsroom/heritage/jrd-tata-letter-schoolteacher
Today I learnt that in Haryana, if you get a challan, you can see it online, you can also pay it online. There is no need to go to any court!
https://www-moneycontrol-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/ai-will-crush-indias-demographic-dividend-to-demographic-debt-12865412.html/amp
I have often been asked why I dont visit doctors for my issues.
Here is the full, detailed answer:
I do. I do visit doctors.
They get some tests done, look at them, and tell me, "Maybe it is stress? All the reports are normal."
One doctor went on to say, "I honestly don't know what is wrong with you. I cannot help you."
That's it. That's the only answer I have got from doctors. Either this, or the prescription of medicines that my body did not need.
I have two autoimmune disorders that got diagosed - not by going to doctors for 12 years, but from an online support group. They kept pumping antibiotics into me even when all the culture tests came back negative. A two hour Google search told me about both options - film covered bacteria and auto immune disorders. I read more patient records and figured I was closer to the auto immune issue than the film covered bacteria. Went to a homeopath who thankfully heard me out and was open enough to say, "Yes, i think you might be right. Let me prescribe medicine for this and lets see how you respond." No allopath even listened to patient concerns.
All allopathic doctors do is follow protocol.
If your child has fever, we assume viral and wait for 3 days before giving antibiotic.
Google or AI can do this IF-THEN-ELSE better than you.
Your job, as the doctor, is to KNOW when a child is not doing so well and when they need to start antibiotics.
Your job, as the doctor is to listen to the patient and go beyond the protocol.
For that to happen, the pharma industry has to stop dictating protocols.
You, as doctors, need to fight to remain relevant. If you allow your wisdom to be taken over by protocol, then those years of practice amount to nothing.
If you don't tell the patient whether a certain drug causes thrombocytopenia, the patient will find out online - in 30 minutes vs the two it would have taken you to tell them.
I don't think the consumer should celebrate the end of kirana stores or the rise of Quick Commerce.
For these reasons:
1. It is only a matter of time before a health emergency happens (rats, yes). If you enter a warehouse, you will not be able to order from quick commerce again. By the way please do wash everything you get from quick commerce. Keeping the dark warehouse rodent free is not in anyone's KRA. Let that sink in. There are no health and safety standards applicable to these warehouses.
2. It was exactly like this before Covid. Then Covid happened and the local kirana stores sustained us. Like typical humans, we paid back with inbuilt ingratitude.
3. The customer is killing something that is both convenient and sustainable. The customer is creating monopolies. Then cribbing about high delivery charges is what use? You killed the competition and ensured enough reliance on this business model to make them monopolies. The customer literally is giving their choice away.
4. Creating 10,00,000 delivery partners who are not able to do justice to their basic health is good for whom? Lazy customers? Because this kind of work culture for 10,00,000 people is not good for society overall.
5. We underestimate the importance of stray conversations in combating loneliness. I buy most of my stuff from real retail stores and cannot overstate the importance of these connections. Pharmacist - 18 years. Stationery store - 21 years. Grocery store - 21 years. Optician - 10 years. Sabziwala - 4-5 years for one and nearly 10 years for another. Appliance and Electronics Store: 20 years. Sanitary Supplies: 15 years. They know me. I know them. Now, we also know each other's children. (The concept of 'strokes' was explained by Dr. Eric Berne in Transaction Analysis, in case you are looking for theoretical proof).
6. In Arthashastra, Chanakya says - Vyavhar is only among equals. A strong king and a weak king do not 'negotiate'. The stronger king sets the terms and the weak king accepts them. If you take a bread back to your kirana wala and say this was stale, he will quietly take the bread back and give you a fresh one. Try doing that with Zepto, Blinkit, Swiggy, Zomato. You cannot negotiate with big kings. You can only put up with them. Do not create behemoths - because they are detrimental to your own welfare. Nurture equal stakeholders.
Like AI, you can either hate or love QCommerce, but you cannot avoid it. Like AI, you can decide how much of it you want in your own life.
