When malls, supermarkets and large format stores started establishing their presence in the city, a good number of youngsters chose to shop there and ditched the neighbourhood kirana stores.

Many thought that in the fight for survival, the small kirana stores would exit from business as they would be unable to match the price or offer the range of products that the supermarkets could.

Thanks to the lockdown, these kirana stores are today busier, to say the least, catering to the needs of the friendly neighbour. While the Government’s notification states that shops selling essential products can operate between 6 am and 1 pm, the neighbourhood store, while pulling his shutter, still manages to cater his customers’ requirements through the backdoor.

And people too seem to flaunt government rules by knocking the shop keeper’s door, well past the notified hours.

Senior citizens aver that the kirana store is more convenient to shop not just during such periods, but generally too. “You can just call them up after placing the kadai on the gas for the supply of spice or any such thing. It will be at your doorstep in a jiffy. Can you dream of a supermarket extending this kind of service?” asked Savithri, a septuagenarian.

She further pointed out that the kirana store located in the vicinity of her home supplied material on credit. “You can’t expect this from the supermarket. The store has most of the stuff that the supermarket vends. We sometimes request him to buy things that he does not have, and neighbourhood store walla obliges. What more would people like us need? She asked.

Those that were cribbing about the presence of such shops in residential localities see it as a blessing in disguise during the lockdown period.

Even e-commerce players like Amazon partnered with such kirana stores to strengthen their presence.

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