Malls or smaller shops : What do you prefer and why?

Thanks Vinoy for the invitation. I will go with high street markets as a first preference since all the visitors are buyers. There is no hidden charges for operating the shop.

It really does not mean goods at Malls do not sell but profitability is a big question. Most of the people come for either movies or food and off course some of them buys also. Malls are a good place for advertising but not as market since most of the visitors are not buy 

I have myself seen in a reputed store in Lucknow, stock of a perishable item Mfg. date Jan 11, with 9 mths shelf life and MRP Rs 103, placed for sale in July 2011 with a price tag of Rs.109 which was the price of the current lot. When pointed out they argued that stock was received in April and was kept in controlled temperature so it could be sold till the last date and the price would be corrected to old price. When asked what about the deterioration in quality between the period of manufacture to date of receipt at the store and the conditions in which it was transported they had no answer. Since many consumers  in India are not aware of these aspects they accept stocks as long as some life is left and when a person points out these things , the staff at these malls try to prove before everyone that the person complaining is a fool. In another example a salesman, in a mall selling branded men's  wear, when asked to show stocks of Shirts of a certain range remarked that there were none available. When asked to show what was available he had the guts to say that he had stocks which you couldn't afford to buy. The malls and big stores in India have mushroomed  suddenly. They do not have staff who can take care of the customers instead they try to misguide them just to prop up the sales and retain their job. In the US & Europe the staff in Malls and stores are well informed about their products, try to help the consumers and don't argue with them. They accept the complaints and readily give refunds or exchange as desired by the customer. Old stocks are promptly removed or kept separately for sale at reduced prices. Life expired goods are never kept on the shelves. I wanted to buy an electric iron in Germany in 1990 kept separately on the shelf but was told that it cannot be sold as the model had been superceded but the new one was not in stock. These are some of the disadvantages of shopping in Indian malls. With the small shopkeeper you build up personal relationships and such issues do not arise. Added to this is free home delivery by some shops and additional discounts on regular bulk purchases.

HALF or more of the products in Malls, and Supermarket that are tagged as "BUY xx and GET yy FREE" are normally bundled together by tape. Look at the expiry date and you will find that these are all expired products. In the kirana shop, I look at the expiry dates for such packaged products first.

Namrata i agree with you. I think the bad smell you are referring to is that of food court, which is present in every mall.

Actually,the act of "shopping" is a broader term and a matter of culture.We in India are accustomed to give the list of our monthly requirements to the Kirana store next door (pulses,rice,soap etc)and the kirana store-man home-delivers' the lot. You may even be having a monthly account going on!!This method is the most opted for as to the Malls because it traditionally still fits the culture. (Compare this culture of getting to buy fresh vegetables or chicken as against Frozen Foods). India is a densly populated country.Not everone has a mode of transport to visit Malls and buy their stuff (as against typically a WalMart situated outside the Town so their prices are kept low). When it comes to "shop"other commodities like Clothes etc. a Mall may still be preferred since it paves way for a variety of Brands under one roof, also offers other avenues of spending time with family (like Food-courts). We in India are therefore trying to extract the Best out of both.

Lately,I am also realizing that malls are stocking products or FMCG of earliest design or development,where as small shops are stocking latest products of same manufacturers.

Thanks,Namrata for referral.