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To market The retail revolution means cheaper prices for everyone weather they are wearing pant or a ‘panchi’

He is wearing black oversized chappals, a red and green checkered towel on his shoulder, a white carelessly tied pugree and with his care worn face and lungi and shirt it is difficult to ignore the old man as he fidgets trying to tear the polythene bag for his vegetables. A few minutes later, the old man is outside the fruit and vegetable shop with his bag of purchases. Veeraiah calculates he has saved Rs. 5 with his purchases in this shop instead of at the vegetable vendors parked on the road near Toli Chowki. "I am allowed to choose, and the prices are low, I can pick up as much as I want and I am sure I am not being cheated," he says. A daily wager who begins his day in one corner of Toli Chowki a saving of Rs. 5 per day is a huge benefit.

Why not buy from Mehdipatnam Rythu Bazar?

"I will have to travel there and back. Then those fellows don’t give anything less than half kg, I don’t need that much," he says.

Two burqa-clad women run the aisles inside the retail vegetable shop that opened on November 3, 2006 and within 10 minutes they have picked up enough vegetables to feed an army. On weekends, rows of cars are parked outside the shop and shoppers walk out with loaded bags as if they live on fruits and vegetables. "Come at 4 p.m., that’s the best time to pick up fresh vegetables," says a shophand as she weighs, punches in the name of the product on the touchscreen computer to get the price and bags it, all in a matter of few seconds.

It is not in these words that you can see the true impact of the retail revolution. It is in the nullahs, sewers and the biggest of them all in Hyderabad: Musi, that you see it. Floating bags of one retail outlet or the other show the success of the story.

As protests by petty vendors gathers momentum due to political forces fishing for potent topics, the one-year experience of Hyderabad with retail revolution is anything but unhappy. A few brokers might be unhappy, but the consumers are delighted.

"With the sabjiwallahs or at rythu bazars if you don’t bargain they will cheat. At rhythu bazar the prices are written in Telugu, there is no parking space, you have to take your own bag, I find this hassle free. We now go to Rhythu Bazar only once a year: To buy mangoes for pickle," says Lakshmi Reddy who runs a dental clinic in Rethi Bowli.

Money saver? You bet. "I can pick up one litre of milk at point of day and it costs me Rs. 2 less than the MRP, contrast this with the deliver guy who charges me Rs. 1 over the MRP and then adds Rs. 30 as service charge," says Usha who lives in Shaikpet Nala area.

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