Online shopping sites usually promise the lowest prices and give the impression that you as a buyer get the best bargain. But that is not always the case.
Yesterday, one of the Google ads on this blog displayed an ad for FutureBazaar.com. Their tagline is "lowest prices - everyday!" The TVCs have been airing on television for quite some time. Curiously, I checked the site. On the home page are listed the "Jaldi going" products (special 8-hour bargain products). The first item was a Transcend 2GB Pen Drive priced at a 'bargain' rate of Rs 1199.
The product details said - "You save: Rs 1291 (51%)" as the MRP listed was 2490. A steal! But in fact you lose at least Rs 750. A few days ago I had purchased the same product from a computer stationery dealer for Rs 750. I had also posted about my purchases on this blog.
Another purchase that I had written about in that post was a Creative 1GB MP3 player. A similar product is priced at Rs. 4774 on the site, whereas I got it for Rs 3750 (+taxes). Again, a difference of almost a grand.
The site's terms and conditions reads:
We strive to provide you with the lowest prices possible on FutureBazaar.com as well as in all our group stores under the corporate entity - Future Group. However, sometimes a price online does not match the price in a store. In our effort to be the lowest price provider in your particular geographic region, store pricing will sometimes differ from online prices. Prices and availability are subject to change without notice.
So they also accept the fact, but in fine print. Therefore, the advice is to do what you should always do. Before making an online purchase call up some offline dealer and enquire about their rates for the same product. After all, money matters.
FutureBazaar.com is a subsidiary of Pantaloon Retail (India) Limited which also operates Big Bazaar. Big Bazaar is therefore a partner at FutureBazaar. The products at Big Bazaar are supposedly (according to their ad campaign) the most "sasta aur accha (cheapest and the best)." Try shopping for some good menswear at their stores and you'll get the answer to the "accha" part. As for the "sasta," check out the prices for the same products at Lajpat Nagar or Sarojini Nagar in Delhi (the same should hold true for other cities). It's only that the dealers at Lajpat and Sarojini don't give a receipt; else I would have taken up and won their challenge* many times over.
*Big Bazaar is throwing a price challenge in the market. According to the challenge, if a consumer finds a product of the same quality or brand elsewhere at a lower price than offered by Big Bazaar, the consumer may return the product and also claim double of the price difference.
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It has to be amongst the oldest and the most popular depilatory cream in the country. In school we threatened fellow (male) students with application of Anne French on their manes. A few had also experimented with the product on their upper lips before graduating to the razor. It has been around for a long long time as this ad shows. This is from Desh (the Bengali literary magazine) dated November 13, 1965.
[Click on images for a bigger view]
Facial quality Anne French Hair Remover. Creams hair away from face, legs, arms & underarms (and from other places too).
Registered user: Geoffrey Manners & Co. Ltd.
Here's another modern ad for the same product, exemplifying the results, if we had actually carried out our empty threats.
Anne French - Always keep the content in its original bottle
Follow this link for a brief history of the product complete with more vintage advertising.
The issue of Desh was contributed by Dwaipayan.
PS: This is my newly acquired scanner at work. More will follow.
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It is one of those times when I go crazy and venture on a shopping spree, though not like the shopaholic escapades of the other half of the species, which just keep on adding non-utilitarian items to the already scarce cupboard space. Here's a list of notable items I acquired over the last few days.
1. Transcend 2GB USB drive JF V30 Rs 750 ~ $17
These are just getting cheaper and cheaper. There was a 1GB drive (I don't remember the make) for Rs 400. Cheap dirt cheap (RIP floppies - they've been long dead - and CDRWs).
2. Samsung DVD Writer SH-S182F Rs 1850 ~ $42
It does almost all the stuff that a DVD writer needs to do (including DVD 9, which isn't 9GB). Already made that mandatory trip to underground (double meaning here) Palika Bazar and stocked up my library.
3. Creative MuVo N200 1GB Rs 3750 (+ taxes) ~ $84
Not for me, I'm relatively content with my Samsung YP-U2, but as a wedding gift for our boss. The big brands (like Sony) continue to be obscenely expensive, Creative has a nice array of players, some with sub Rs 1300 prices. Didn't try it out, so can't exactly vouch for the sound quality, but Creative's desktop speakers have had a good reputation.
4. HP Deskjet F370 All-in-One Rs 3700 (+ taxes) ~ $83
Wanted to get one for a long time. Ideally should've got a separate scanner and printer, but constraints of space and money had the final say. Now there'll be more vintage advertisements and other scanned stuff on this blog.
5. USB extension cable Rs 15 ~ $0.33
SInce my assembled PC doesn't have a front USB port (it has, but that doesn't work) and it is quite difficult to go behind everytime, this one comes handy. But doesn't work with my digital camera and digital audio player. Is only USB drive friendly.
6. Intex PC headphones (Standard) Rs 65 ~ $1.46
Needed a pair for work, had been using my audio player's ear phones for long.
All the above purchases were made impromptu. No research and limited bargaining (as a result of the former). There were also other stuff, but they all don't demand a mention. Yes, I also got Moserbaer blank DVDs (4.7 GB 16x) @ Rs 12 a piece. Blank DVD 9 media costs Rs 160! I can get 13.33 blank DVDs for that price.
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We all love Bollywood. Okay, most of us do. And so does Beth Watkins, who lives in Champaign, Illinois, United States. She works in a museum and also has a dog. Beth attempts to imitate the jhatkas and the matkas (she should put up a video of her's) and also does a lot of other things which her profile doesn't mention (so I have no clue).
Having watched approximately a century and a quarter of Bollywood films which includes notable ones like, Chalo Ishq Ladaaye, Jaani Dushman: Ek Anokhi Kahani, Neal n Nikki, Shaadi Se Pehle, Dhund: The Fog and Kismat (the news one with Bobby Deol). Therefore along with my condolences for having gone through this trauma, I offer Beth of Beth Loves Bollywood the Eleventh Isspecial Cutting Chai (February 2007).
Previous sipper: Sanny's Scribbles (January 2007)
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It's Holi the day after and I have to be at work. This might be the first time that I'm doing this, but this post is not about that. Was searching for some info about the festival on Google and this is what I got.
I followed the instructions, and this is what I got.
And again.
And finally got to where I wanted to.
Google often makes me do things thrice. I wonder why?
Anyway, have a colourful weekend.
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