Mylapore Mamies and MNC Negotiations (Chithra, Please Forgive Me)

Thanks, Mythraeyi. Will try to do a write-up on that sometime.

 

Dear Varloo,

You are right. In Kerala bargaining is not allowed in many of the cases. It is not only that.If you visit a pharmacy and ask for a drug which he does not have,he wont even say so. He would just make a strange sound summarily dismissing us.
But yes, in many places they are honest with the prices.

Funny. Looks like we have many persons to compete with my grandfather who bargained for grapes.

You are right. Before we start the bargain we should know what is the correct price. When I look for autos in Chennai I talk to the first two and get an idea of the price. Then I let them go. When the third man comes I have a fair idea of the price.
But what the Kumbakonam mami did was atrocious. It was not haggling. It was stealing.

thanks for the fb, varloo.
regards,

 

Dear Brindha,
Nobody is late here, Brindha. The doors are open any time. You are right all women are fond of haggling.
But wait, men are also fond of it. Only thing is they haggle at different places. That's all. Mamis haggle with the fruit and vegetable vendors, the roadside shops and all. But men haggle every where.
When I started practice I was handling the case of a bus owner. That was some 20 years back and I had billed some Rs. 1000 for a small service. I knew very well he had brought the money on that day. But he started to bargain,
"Sridhar sir, why don't you show me some concession? Is it okay if I pay Rs. 750 for your bill?"
I just stared at him.
"Ok, Ok, I'll pay Rs. 900. And here's the money."
I wanted to tackle him at a different level. He was running a bus service from Madurai to Chennai. He was charging Rs.130 per ticket at that time.
I pocketed the 900 Rs. he gave me.
I told him that I wanted 8 tickets to Madras on Sunday on his bus. He immediately made the calculations (using my calculator which was on the table)
"That will be Rs.1040" He said with a smile.
"Ok, I'll give you Rs.1000"
"How can you do that Sir? I have my fuel and repair expenses. And if I give concession to you, others will also claim. So in my case it is always fixed price."
"You are running a bus and you can't give a 4% discount. But you ask 10% discount from my fees. I also have my costs of operation. I had to study 23 years to come to this stage. And if people know that I had given a 10% discount to you, they'll also ask for the same. Don't you think that chartered accountancy is at least as difficult as operating the bus?"
He got the message and gave me the 100 Rs. he had bargained from me earlier.

Your Dad is right. There is no point in bargaining with the small vendors. The only exception I have is auto-rickshaws and porters and that too when they demand an unreasonable price. With the porters I follow a different strategy. Suppose he demands Rs.120 as porterage I'll haggle for Rs.80 knowing well that his service is worth Rs. 100. He will reluctantly agree and carry the luggage. At the end I'll give Rs. 100 telling him that the extra Rs. 20 is for his sincere service. He'll be very pleased. With a little bargain you can give some extra happiness to another human being.

Thanks for the kind words, Brindha. I have started working on the serial. Got the outline ready. Since it is a love story I want to be doubly careful. Please do pray for me.
love,

 

Dear Brindha,
thanks for the nice words. Thanks to the wishes and blessings of the ILites the new serial has taken a good shape. I am ready with the outline and I want to build the story as I go along.
There is a difference between the serials that appear on the Television and those of mine that appear here in IL. In the former you are just a dumb spectator. But in the latter you are an active participant. Remember your fb will not only make a difference in me but also in the story.
Thanks for the prayers, Brindha.
regards,

 

Dear Kaluputti,
Now, MC is Mylapore Child, right? You are right about your observation of Mamis. As they are left to do most of the bargains, they are better exposed and in many cases better than Mamas. I remember an incident in Kodaikanal.The Mami actually belonged to a billionaire's family. And her whole family of about 25 went to an ice cream parlour and ordered peach melbas.
As soon as the dish arrived the billionaire mama was prepared to eat, pay and go. But Mami was not like that.She demanded the parlour guy to show peaches in her peach melba. That idiot had prepared peach melba without peach in it. Mami would not leave him alone. Seeing her fighting other customers who were about to visit left the place. The parlour guy relented and gave the entire group a whopping 50% discount.
I asked her, "For the kind of wealth you have, this is nothing. Should you stake your reputation in a parlour in Kodaikkanal for a few hundreds?"
"Sridhar, when it comes to fairness I'll fight for even a single Rupee. I am happy not because I have shaved off a few hundred Rupees from this poor guy. I am happy that I have taught him to be fair. Never in his life will he serve peach melbas without the peaches."
I simply bowed down to her wisdom.
Thanks Kalupatti once again for your response.
love,

 

You are welcome, Deepa. And thanks a lot for your nice words.
love,