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

Dear Lalitha,

thanks. While I used the word MM to give an extra appeal to the thread, what I have said applies generally to most of the women in Chennai, especially those in the middle class,who have a strong sense of values and an equally strong sense of economy too.

So Mambalam Mamis or Meenambakkam Mamis, you are all included in the expression MM.

I know that. But better hide yourself before someone comes to you with a stick.

But I cannot comment on that since I also do that quite often. The other day I wanted to buy a cell phone. Went to Univercell and almost showed him the cash I had and made it sure to him I am going to buy the mobile from the dealer.

When he showed the set (Nokia 6233) and said that the price is fixed, well, I asked for some discount. He refused. Then I showed my old mobile (a museum piece almost) for which he said he would give Rs.400 at the most. I told him that I would come the very next day to pick up the piece.

Meanwhile I had picked up all the technical information on the mobile - both the old one and the new one.

Armed with this information I went to another Nokia Dealer and now asked for a specific set. (Hey, can you show me a brown colour 6233?) He was impressed. We got a better deal overall and saved about Rs. 200.
(Less than 4 litres of petrol, you think? It's still sizeable.)

If Madurai Mamas are KPs, then I belong to the worst kind. A nagging KP.
ha ha ha.
love,
sridhar

 

Dear Chithra,
You know I started the thread because whenever it comes to pricing, negotiations and strategies people always look up to big corporations and high-flying executives sitting in glass cabins.

I have had the good fortune of moving with both the classes. Anyday I would vote only for MMs who have a way of negotiating things. In negotiations it is crucial to get information from the other party without parting with too much information. As Lalitha said MMs do it with elan.

Ask Cheeniay Sir to add "peram pesindhu, bargain pannindu, businessmenaiye bramikka vachindu" That's the purpose of this thread. Had I known Cheeniya's words earlier I would have used it as the title of this thread.

I object to the line I have emboldened here. You MMs are far better than your Western Counterparts. Once a MM travelled from Chennai to Madurai by AC Bus. The AC did not work. The bus operator was my client.The next day she came to the office, showed the ticket and asked for a refund. My client said he could give only 20% of the ticket fare. She demanded 50% and threatened to go to the Consumer Court. In spite of my advising my client to budge in,he refused. Result: she went to the consumer court,got 100% of the fare plus an extra amount for her mental agony. But that apart, the way she negotiated without losing her cool was quite admirable. I don't think an American lady wold have done that so forcefully and so gracefully.

I have seen my mother doing this. She will haggle for every rupee with the fruit vendor. But after the bargain is over they would become friends. Amma would offer her food to eat and would give some old clothes. In terms of value Amma would have gained a Rupee but what she gave out would be several times her gain.

Thanks. I know and hence this thread is used to pay tribute to MMs.
love,

 

Dear Mythili,

Oh,please, don't think I am discriminating in favour of MMs. For me it is the same. Mylapore Mami, Ayanavaram Mami, Aminjikkarai Mami.. all are the same. But Mylapore Mami is used more frequently in discussions like these. And Mylapore was one of the earliest abodes of Mamis. So by virtue of seniority I gave the title.

And the post covers not just Mamis but all womenfolk, who want their money to give the maximum mileage.

You are right, Mythili. There are some cruel hagglers. I am not for them. You can haggle and if the prices don't match don't do the deal. There are people who accuse the vendors of cheating them and all. That I don't like. Some are pretty heartless even when they utter something by way of a joke. Once I got down at Egmore station early in the morning along with an acquaintance who was like that. We went to the auto stand. He told me that I was quite naive (I was actually at that time, some 30 years back) and that he would do the auto negotiations. An auto driver asked for something like 20 Rs to go to Adyar. (remember those days; petrol was selling at Rs. 2 per litre).
My friend told him.
"Ok then go to Myalpore Kabaleeswarar Temple first."
"What for?"
"And please lend me a piece of cloth. I'll sit along with the beggars, spread the cloth before me and as soon as I collect Rs.20, we can go to Adyar."
The auto-driver hit himself on his head. And yelled "saavu graakki" at us and went about his way.

Seeing your daughter's haggling skills I have a half mind to rename the thread Mumbai Mamis (alas, I don't have the power to change the name of the thread). But in a way your daughter is right. Many people always ask 20% less than what the Vendor has quoted. And the vendor jack up the prices by more than 30% so that even after haggling we lose and they gain. One should know the real price and hold on to it.
Many times I do the same thing as your daughter.But before doing that I tell the vendor, "I am going to ask a price much lower than what you have quoted. But that's the only price I can afford. So don't be offended."
Many vendors smile at this apology and normally agree to a price slightly more than the price I've asked for.

Thanks for the fb, GM. (Do you need an Einstein to expand this acronym?)

Love,

 

Sriniketan,

I don't fully buy that statement. There are some Mamas who do a better job than the ladies. And there are some ladies who do not bargain at all. But given the Indian conditions a lady can bargain with more immunity. Again the emotional intelligence of a lady is better than that of a man. She can always ensure that the haggling does not degenerate into a fight.

Grapes negotiating is quite simple. Had I told it in Tamil you'd have just lauged at at.
My grandfather was hard of hearing. And in a commanding tone he asked the grape vendor to name the price. The vendor said Rs. 3 per kg. May be my grandpa heard it as Rs. 7. So he told him with all strictness, "I wont give you more than Rs. 5 per kg." The whole compartment laughed at this bargaining.
thanks for the fb, Sriniketan.
regards,

 

Dear Chithra,
Thanks for the second helping of your fb. And like the second helping of the Walnut Halwa you prepared for us when we visited you, it is as interesting. I think the advent of malls has to a great extent damaged our culture.In a typical shopping mall the human interaction is minimal. And you are just one of the few thousands of customers. You are not even counted as a full human being. The marketing expert who at times stands there in the entrance to measure the traffic classifies you as merely a "footfall". The other day I read in the financial press that a particular brand would not stock its goods in malls where the footfalls are less than 10000.
For them, Chithra, we are just a variable in their profit calculations. Whereas for the vendor who has spread his ware near the mylapore tank we are the kings and the queens.
There are hundreds of stress-busters available today. But this is the best. For a lady who has hard day at her office and who could not bear the stress, my advice is simple. Go to the old styled vegetable market and shop for vegetables after haggling to your heart's content. Depressed ladies also find shopping and haggling rejuvenating.

Actually this thread is about MM as a person and not Mylapore as an area. For that I'd have to start a dozen threads. You have all the temples. You can buy all your Puja articles in one go - be it a small pack of erukkampul on the street side or a silver lamp at Sukra.

What can I say? I don't want to start one more controversy in IL. Mylapore Mamis vs Other Madras Mamis. But then there is another problem. The Mamis from others places would pounce upon me. And there is one Madurai Mami hardly a few feet away ready to pounce on me any time, if I left out Madurai Mamis. So let me play safely on this.
It's like this, Chithra. We, Iyengars, prepare hundreds of dishes; but are still known for our Puliyodharai. Similarly....(I don't have the courage to complete the sentence.)
Thanks for the multiple fb, which I enjoyed to the hilt.
love,

 

Dear Malathi,

thanks. People who are so full of love are bad at bargaining. It was interesting to read about the auto-driver taking you for a ride, literally and figuratively.

Malathi, there is one basic lesson we should learn. Never ever ask an auto driver to switch on the meter. You would have wanted to go from Mylapore to Adyar. But before the auto would have touched the RK Mutt Road, the meter would have reached adyar. And when the auto reaches the destination the meter will be in Velachery.

Once I traveled from Reserve Bank to Adyar. It was 10 years ago and at that time I had absent mindedly asked him to switch on the meter. While my up trip had costed me only Rs. 45 the meter now showed Rs.70. I found out that the meter was a heated one.(soodu vacha meter) I got down from the auto and told the driver calmly.

"I am from Madurai and my train is only in the night. When I went from here to RBI I paid only Rs. 45. I know your meter is wrong. I have all day to fight with you. If you want we can both go to the police. I will have your meter tested by the RTO and then we can settle the issue. Now your meter shows Rs.70. Tell me how much should I pay you."

I said it in a very friendly voice with a benign smile. Nevertheless he got the message loud and clear.
"OK sir, pay me Rs. 50. Rs.45 is the fare. But let me have a cup of coffee in your honour."
I gave him 50 Rs. patted him on his shoulder for his intelligence and left the scene.
That was the last time I travelled in an auto with its mete on.

I bargain with the railway porters too. But when I see them carry the heavy baggages to the train, I give them whatever they had asked for in the first place.
Thanks for the fb, Malathi.
regards,