Bangalore only -- Hopcoms and their prices

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Do ppl sometime ever get doubts about the prices at hopcoms ?

Did you know you can go to their site and download their current pricelist. Never would i have expected it :O

Nice pdf file with all the rates for everything they sell, Gets updated every monday and another day, sometimes wednesday or other. The list is dated so you know when its effective.

I started noting down the prices whenever i go there and found at times there was a discrepancy. So i demand the pricelist from the vendor who is unwilling and given i can't read kannada, he usually fools me on the prices and tells me internet is not reliable and you cannot trust it. Then i said why not put your pricelist out for public view, why is it always hidden under something ? No answer. There's a nice big board out there but rarely are prices chalked in and even in that case he disputes whats on it giving some excuse or the other.

I find he's usually in agreement on days the list comes out but otherwise its hit & miss. Sometimes he quotes other items that are more expensive and tells me thats the price and if i'm not willing he refuses to sell them to me !!

I'm not sure if he can do that unless the list put out on the net is like he said not always upto date, but i suspect he's lying ?

I'm trying to get that pricelist put out for public view in the shop so he can't jiggle the prices. It's clear and there is no argument. I'm not asking for discounts i insist on paying what is marked. He's started charging me an extra ruppee now for the bag which i've no problems with.

Hopcoms is 90% govt. funded so pricelists ought to be transparent but is your vendor like mine, charming and courteous so long as you trust him ?.

I usually buy lots of fruit there as the quality is good but not always cheap and therefore I expect to be charged appropriately. Now i could get it at the market but thats further away, whilst the hopcoms is just up the road. Hopcoms is not good when the price plummets as they guarantee a minimum price to the grower so when there's a glut the free floating market price will always trump hopcoms. But otherwise i find the quality in general to be better than that in supermarkets and i love going to it whenever, just that i'm not sure if i'm getting a straight price each time

 

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well never knew hopcoms had a website,never bought their either but a nice find,but when i asked my mom,she said the prices in the real world are more compared to the website

 

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Well, put it this way, pre-disovering pricelist, eggs were quoted to me at Rs.3 each so a dozen for a loong time was Rs.36, sometimes dropping to 32 but never staying there long. The market has always been Rs.2 cheaper for a dozen in comparison.

Now that he knows that i know, i get the real price Rs.2.60 or 2.70 as it rose cpl days back. Dozen works out to Rs.32-33 now.

Yes, price in real workd is more but the pricelist he has and the one on the site ought to match given the same date. This is a point i'm exploring further, otherwise the web list makes no sense and thats the rub

 

[adder]

Well, put it this way, pre-disovering pricelist, eggs were quoted to me at Rs.3 each so a dozen for a loong time was Rs.36, sometimes dropping to 32 but never staying there long. The market has always been Rs.2 cheaper for a dozen in comparison.

Now that he knows that i know, i get the real price Rs.2.60 or 2.70 as it rose cpl days back. Dozen works out to Rs.32-33 now.

Yes, price in real workd is more but the pricelist he has and the one on the site ought to match given the same date. This is a point i'm exploring further, otherwise the web list makes no sense and thats the rub

true,the pricelist is certainly helpful,atleast we will know how much to bargain or have a price reference.anyway will try my luck i am total noob in buying vegetables and other fruits in market or hopcoms,usually i used to give the price they ask for or buy from a super market.

 

[neoronin]

Well, after checking the price list I realize that I have been paying only marginally more. But since I paid 5 Rs/- once for a Lemon [during a festive season] , I have shifted to Farm Fresh or simply go to Banashankari Market and pick up veggies from there. I miss the time I lived near Koyambedu in Chennai. Bulk veggie purchase FTW!

 

[kippu]

lemon went upto rs.4/- during the festivals so possible it was 5 in bangalore

 

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Lemon's have come down from a high of Rs.120 a kilo, there was a shortage here. Only a few months back when i went to the market i used to get 10 for Rs.10 back. Recently I was lucky to get two at that price. And thats what the women on the street who sell nothing but charge, same everywhere. I suppose the drought is responsible

true,the pricelist is certainly helpful,atleast we will know how much to bargain or have a price reference.anyway will try my luck i am total noob in buying vegetables and other fruits in market or hopcoms,usually i used to give the price they ask for or buy from a super market.

The first thing is to have a price board in view. It took some effort from ppl to demand it be put there but then its not always updated or he bluffs that the items there are different. Most ppl don't care, and if you don't go there often there isn't a reason but otherwise, it adds up especially if you buy fruit, i'd estimate at least 10% dissapears like this.

Secondly i always pick my own as sometimes they slip in bad stuff (over ripe), what the guy does is charge you less sometimes and you think you got a bargain, but in fact you actually got slightly less than you paid for. I notice a lot of women picking their own too, they don't like getting bad stuff either but the price bit i suppose is hubbies problem

Picking fruits & veg requires some training from the elders, not that evident how to get good stuff as each item has its quirks ie colour, size, feel, even smell varies. Thats nearly 4 parameters for anything from 20-50 different items during the year. I'm still learning.

Finally,there's no discount at Hopcoms, its all marked price, the issue is holding the vendors to it. After all Hopcoms claim to fame is assuring fair prices to its growers so I don't see why its customers cannot expect the same. Currently neither the customer nor Hopcoms gets the full benefit as it dissapears into the vendor's pocket.