Hi. This was the mail I wrote to Mother Dairy today but it bounced back with 'Delivery server quota exceeded' message. Guess nobody looks at their mails. So I have posted it here.
Sir,
I am a resident of Delhi. Yesterday, Mother Dairy increased its milk rates by Rs.1 per litre. Though we know that it is inevitable but it has given rise to a peculiar problem, especially to those people who make their purchases in fractions – 1 ½ litre etc. This happened when the price was raised before last time, too.
The problem is, 50p. is being treated as ‘not acceptable’ denomination by a host of outlets, including some of those belonging to Mother Dairy. And, as such, when I buy 1 ½ litre of toned milk, the price comes to Rs. 37.50 but I am invariably charged Rs. 38 as ‘50p is not acceptable’. Though it is too small an amount for me to make an issue of, but over a period of time, it does not seem fair. Some people have argued and insisted on the vendor writing out the figure on a slip of paper, for adjustment in their next purchase, but it is all in bad taste.
When Mother Dairy is investing so much in infrastructure and other facilities, I would suggest it to also think about installing ‘Smart Cards’ in their outlets. This could be on the lines of Metro Rail’s Smart Card which can be swiped after purchases are made. As every Mother Dairy is already equipped with a telephone line, it would not be much of a bother. As the cards would be ‘filled’ with more than the amount of purchases, the interest part would also come into play in Mother Dairy’s favour. This can be translated into giving discounts to the buyers, as is done by Metro Rail. Such a measure would mitigate the problem of both vendors (won’t have to keep change and argue with customers) and customers (won’t have to look for change daily). The same cards could be used in 'Safal' outlets also.
Yours truly,
Srikanth
Delhi-91
