Super Stop & Shop . . . Delhi Style

Rodeo Drive. 54th & 5th. Khan Market?

Resting on top of the most expensive commercial real estate in all of India (and 24th globally), Khan Market (pictured) has a most unorthodox way of filling up high-priced FSI.

Peaking at a measly two stories, Khan Market serves up anything and everything for a portion of the Delhi population. I like to think of it as a big box retailer without a box (it's set up like a strip mall). When I initially arrived in India, I was dismayed to learn that Wal-Mart had not made any inroads with the Indian economy. Say what you want about this. I'm not really interested in debating why I wanted there to be a Wal-Mart here. It's not that I particularly enjoy or patronize the store while I'm at home; however, you can always count on it to get inexpensive necessities if you're in an unfamiliar area. When I arrived, India certainly met that qualification, but the closest Wal-Mart is in China.

Without Wal-Mart, where is the discerning shopper to go?

Mark to Market

I didn't know what to expect when Aarti (one of the friends with whom I'm staying) and I pulled up to all the confusion of the market. After a couple of visits, I can confidently say that if one were to visit the various storefronts, each no more than 10 or 12 feet wide, every necessity is available. One store sells only prescription medication. Another sells only bath and shower needs. There's a fruit stand, a butcher (sans beef), a sunglasses shop, book stores, a coffee shop, a baby shop, a dogfood store, cafes, a McDonald's (also, to my frustration, sans beef), a United Colors of Benetton, a hardware store, and general grocery stores (pictured at right), a magazine shop, etc. There's a small ice cream shop called The Big Chill, named after that stupid movie with that guy from Jurassic Park and that lady that was in Fatal Attraction.

The method of shopping is a little different than what a westerner is used to. While everyone is indeed permitted to browse the stores, I'd hesitate to say that they're encouraged to -- this is not a great idea because of the cramped floorspace. So, capitalizing on the insanely cheap labor in India, shop owners hire employees to fetch lists of items for local residents. If one were to go into a Stop & Shop looking for a certain brand of deodorant, a stock boy would tell you to "check in aisle nine." Here, a worker knows instantly whether or not they carry a product (because the inventories are so small) and they save you the hassle of finding it by going and fetching the item for you. The'll do that for an entire list if you'd like. After you pay, they'll carry your purchases out to your car, bike, tuk-tuk, elephant, or other mode of transportation (Kidding about the elephants . . . but not really. I see people riding them in the middle of the street all the time).

There's nothing earth-shattering about this market, except when you consider the knowledge that it's the most expensive real estate in India. American shopping centers on expensive real estate generally cater only to the rich, appending expensive label premiums to items of questionable utility and real value (see: Gucci, Maserati, Bang & Olfusen, etc). Whereas in India, the most expensive real estate caters not to the tastes of the uber-rich (they all go to America and Europe to shop) but to the necessities of the middle class.

Thots?