Letters: Kiranas will survive anyway

There is an unfounded fear that allowing Walmart and other multinational companies in the retail sector will lead to the disappearance of small shops and street vendors. Despite the proliferation of malls, supermarkets and Sahakari Bhandars in Mumbai, there is no let-up in the crowds in the traditional markets. It is because the population is large enough to accommodate them all. The markets are segmented to serve different clientele. The Bhandar in Matunga is as well organised as any supermarket in the US and sells many consumer goods, including groceries, vegetables and fruit, at a discount to everyone. Still the old market near the railway station is crowded as always, especially in the evenings. People returning from work and getting down at the station or the bus stop find it convenient to make purchases on their way home. Going to the Bhandar would mean spending extra time walking from the station. It explains the flourishing of small vendors, though illegal, on unused railway tracks near Wadala station. In US, the advent of supermarkets resulted in the disappearance of mom-and-pop stores. It is because every family has a car and it is not a problem to visit the market even if it is out of the way. This is not the case in India. Multinational companies may open shops in big cities, not in smaller towns and the villages. There is also the advantage of buying on credit from kirana merchants and settling bills on salary day.

A Seshan, Mumbai

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