TRENDS: Lucknow's famous paanwallahs are turning into multi-product utility shops.
What is common to a re-charge coupon, electronic item, a shampoo sachet and a paan? Well, they can all be found at the tiny kiosk of the neighbourhood paanwallah, at least in the city of the nawabs, Lucknow.
With changing times and tastes, Lucknow’s ubiquitous paan shops, which served nawabi paans, are fast turning into corner provision stores. They now stock, stationery and snacks along with paans, packaged water, soft drinks and much else.
Hear what the 65-year-old Dashrath Chaurasia, who owns a paan shop in the crowded Janpath Market, located at the heart of Hazratganj, has to say: “It’s not profitable to deal solely in paan. Most youngsters are not interested in paan any longer,” he says.
To keep in tune with the changing market requirements, Chaurasia Pan Bhandar now displays re-charge coupons, copies, pens, cold drinks and snacks, besides paan, paan masala and cigarettes. “Sometimes boys are accompanied by girls so we have to stock cold drinks and snacks as well,” adds his son. Chaurasia has been in the paan business for 50 years.
Other paan shop owners are even more innovative and have supplemented their income by starting a PCO. Yet others are acting as property brokers too. Rajkumar who has a shop at I.T. Crossing also operates a small PCO within his shop. “My earnings have improved since I started the PCO. The high cost of raw material used in making a paan hardly leaves us with any profits,” he claims.
“Moreover, by keeping a variety of products you some how hold the customer's attention and he finally ends up buying something or the other,” Rajkumar observes. In some cases, the paan shops become promotion points for a number of brands which test market their products through these outlets.
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“We do get offers from FMGC companies to sell their products like soaps and shampoos. These are for trial runs before the actual launch of the product in the market,” says Dilip of Sri Ram Paan Bhandar.
“This may be because we cater to a range of customers from high and middle -class to the lower socio-economic classes. Through such activity the company can get a feel of the the response to its product,” he adds.
“The competition is tough. Almost all paan shops have become multi- commodity shops. There is no option but to join the gang,” concludes Shailendra of Banarasi Paan Bhandar at Hazratganj.