A PREQUEL TO SHOPPING

A PREQUEL TO SHOPPING

 

We are exactly halfway through our course and our life as an architecture student is taking a new turn as we explore pre-assumptions to wider aspects of critical thinking. This semester, our major project revolves around all aspects of shopping. We are to create our own definition about shopping, breakdown all conventional ideas that any ordinary person would have about shopping ; and channelize our thoughts into a completely new domain where it is not just a mere activity but something more - and that is where the mystery lies.

 

To start of with this project we were divided into different categories of shopping with several sub-divisions ranging from clothing and jewellery to provisions to pharmaceauticals. I studied about spices under the category of provisions. We were supposed to study the product in terms of:

- story of the seller

-story of the product

-art of selling

-mode of selling

-service support

-buyer's version

-seasonal

-chemistry of money

I was extremely fascinated to know that a single product had such a massive backstory and that this backstory had multiple stories. What is even more astonishing is that in each of these stories 'spices ' is a new character.

I took three case studies to know about the different strategies adopted to sell spices.

 

 

 

 

Case 1

I went to Connemara market, the busiest market in Palayam, Trivandrum. As I walked through the chaotic market filled with people rushing to acquainted shops I was drawn into a shop called the Vallayil Stores owned by Mr.Sajeer for the past 30 years. To my surprise this shop sold variety of spices ranging from packaged to loose to powdered .  This made my task easier.

 Mr. Sajeer is a very warm-hearted person and told me everything about how this shop came about (now that's a long story ). I was hesitant to pester him with questions since there were customers constantly flooding to his shop. However, I realised that for a shop keeper  in his early forties, but with an experience of thirty years,this scenario was no big deal when he simultaneously answered my questions and attended  all his customers.

Now that's just a glimpse of the story of an almost anonymous small-town entrepreneur.






Case 2

My grandfather M.I.Timothy, 79 years old ,stays in Trichur and has been growing spices in his backyard along with other fruits , vegetables and crops as a hobby eversince he retired at 60. I am personally not into cultivation  but having this background story totally came handy.

 

Growing crops at home is a totally different dimension of selling and a different perspective for shoppers. A new buyer- seller relationship is formed here since one can experience the ambience in which the spices are nurtured and have absolutely no qualms about adulteration or purity of spices.

 

 

 

 

Case 3

I am not acquainted with online shopping let alone shopping for grocery from online portals. Kada.in is an initiation for online grocery and has services throughout Trivandrum.

 Online services is a saving grace for the busy world.









Now, in every one of these cases spices as a product has been treated differently and varies in terms of its buyer,sellers,distributors and manufacturers. A common link in this case as a whole is it's layers of buying and selling ; buyers and sellers. One thing we can be sure about is that Kerala is a land of spices, it's an important component of  our staple diet and there is never going to be a case where the spice sellers is going to experience a complete loss.

So far this is all that I know about what this project is going to be ....the rest has to be decoded.

Cheers,
Anisha