• Real life insights on how Quick Service Delivery, if becomes a habit, can change your personality affecting mental and physical health.

A recent Long Story in the MINT had headlines ‘Startups’ Next Big Thing: Housekeepers in Minutes caught my attention. It started by quoting a Delhi based engineer who thought he was purchasing peace of mind but ended up with more stress. The third support staff he got had no Aadhar, police verification. Imagine allowing a stranger into your home. As if this were not enough here is a real life story.

A high end gated community in Mumbai’s western suburbs got a leading Home Services company to sponsor a society function. The next morning representatives from the company were at the society entrance. They took down name, phone number and salaries of all the maids who were entering that building. The company promised them a huge hike if they enlisted with the Services Company. Some got taken in and asked flat residents for salary hikes or quit. House wives raised a furore forcing the Managing Committee to act.  

Lesson-these service companies have to tap the same maids, who live close to demand centres, for supply, so think before asking a similar services company for sponsorship.

We consumers tend to get enamoured with promises like ten minute or 20 minute delivery but fail to see hidden impact on our mental and spiritual health. I am referring to the latest fad by a few start-ups to promise delivery in 10 or 20 minutes. It might be attractive proposition for those who suddenly demand coffee or have an unexpected guest at home.

As someone who grew up in the 1970s I think differently. Here is our process.

At the outset state that I live in a metro and am a qualified Accountant.

We buy our stuff monthly. Wifey prepares a list of things to buy, quantity enough to last a month. Order is placed online and is usually delivered within two days. If something is required mid-month, I walk to the kirana store and buy it. Items like bajre ka atta and idli batter is bought every week from the area market. It is part of my evening walk. We buy fresh vegetables once a week from the Club Community Store. If something is urgently required, I walk down to the market.

What are the effects of following this process?

Preparing a monthly list has made us organised-improved planning skills, know quantities consumed and amount spent monthly. Any variation is analysed.

Regular walks to the market for small item shopping helps in many ways. Walking is a good for health. I get an idea of market prices and sometimes compare with online prices.

When I enter a general or medical store, the first thing I do is to check out for deals and new products (usually priced lower than established brands). It is easy to spot in a kirana store.

Even though the medical store promises home delivery, I prefer to walk. During a visit to Apollo Pharmacy I got four glycerine soaps for Rs 100/. That is a steal. Might never have known if had not visited the store.

We buy vegetables fresh esp. leafy – no stress of receiving stale stuff.

I buy cake and sweets fresh – no worry about consuming preservatives. 

Going to the market regularly has helped build relations with shopkeepers.

Since I once worked for India’s best FMCG Company, I love browsing the shelves to check out new products, prices and total fatty matter in soaps. 

To summarise, key benefits of following the current system are – 

We have sub-consciously become more organised with tighter control on our monthly budget. There are fewer surprise purchases. This being organised habit has helped us at work too. It has enhanced savings and thus investments.

Ask any doctor and they will tell you the benefits of walking.

We do not get stressed when delivery does not happen in minutes. Sub consciously we have become patient-willing to wait a bit esp. when no urgency.

All this does not mean that wifey will not order her favourite coffee and expect quick delivery.

A cousin who shared her views - In a small town like Goa where kirana stores are at drivable distance, then quick commerce is a boon...your regular kirana does not have exotic veggies like broccoli avocado etc....so there's no choice but to drive down to a super market...so how do you get to convince Gen z ...maybe by telling them about the carbon footprint each order of theirs creates...you could add these bits to your article...

The question that I often ask myself is – do I really need quicker delivery? In a manufacturing set-up Just-In-Time, as an inventory management system pioneered by Toyota in the 1970s, was required and worked well. But is Just-In-Time required at home where the complexity and values are much lower. 

Venture capital companies are pouring billions of dollars into companies that offer quick delivery. They surely have their reasons, one of which could be catering to Gen Z. Being much older, I am unable to relate!

It is my belief that as Gen Z grows older, they might ask – do we really need quick delivery-how is it affecting our health-physical and mental? 

So also, when start-ups run out of cash they might be forced to look at business profitability and ask-how many Dark Stores are making a profit/should we reduce the number of stock keeping units (SKUs) covered by quick delivery.

There will always be a market for those who want to have a hair-cut or body massage at home or coffee in 15 minutes. Will the market for such services be large enough is the question?

There is a value to personal relationships, be it in hiring housekeepers or shopping. Some E commerce start-ups are changing that. I am all for e-commerce but simultaneously value associations – may be am not keeping pace with the changing India. 

My neighbour gives their cook a monthly off, a paid week off to visit village for an annual festival and recently gave her a interest free loan of Rs 5 lakhs. Can any quick service company like BookMyBai match that?

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