A comparison found that Quick Commerce apps are more expensive than local vendors. The bill for the same vegetables was ₹280 on Thela, ₹333 on Swiggy and ₹365 on Blinkit. Convenience, delivery and other charges on apps increase prices.
Bengaluru, Mumbai or Gurgaon Like ‘quick commerce’ apps that deliver ration at home within 10 minutes in big cities have made our lives a lot easier. In this busy life, this seems no less than a boon. But the question is, are our pockets being cut in the name of this facility? A woman named Mehak Akhtar from Gurgaon conducted a small experiment, which has now gone viral on social media and has further intensified the debate.
Price comparison and its results went viral
Mehak made a list of vegetables used daily. Then he found out the price of these vegetables at three places – street vendor, Swiggy Instamart and Blinkit. The results of this experiment will force everyone to think about their monthly budget:
local street vendor
When all this stuff was bought from the street vegetable vendor, the bill came to only Rs 280. What’s more, as is often the case in India, the vegetable vendor gave away coriander and green chillies for free.
swiggy instamart
The bill on Instamart for the same list was Rs 333. That means, about Rs 53 more than the local street vendor.
blinkit
Blinkit proved to be the most expensive in this race. The total bill here reached Rs 365. There was a huge difference of about Rs 85 between the prices of local vendors and Blinkit.
Where is most of our money going?
We do not just give the price of goods on online apps. Along with this, charges for beautiful packaging, delivery fees, platform fees and ‘surge charges’ levied in case of rain or increase in demand also increase the bill. Another big thing is that on the apps we have to buy only fixed packets like 100 grams or 250 grams. Whereas from the local street vendor we can buy as per our need (like ginger for only Rs 10 or lemons for Rs 20) and also have complete freedom to bargain.
Adopt these ‘smart’ methods to save money
Give priority to local market
Take out some time in a week and shop from a nearby street vendor or vegetable market. With this you can save 20% to 30% in the monthly budget and it also helps small shopkeepers.
adopt a hybrid approach
It is wise to use apps only when it is absolutely necessary, when there is a lot of work pressure at home or when you need to order heavy items like rice, sacks of flour and oil.
Understand the value of convenience
Remember, getting stuff delivered to your doorstep in 10 minutes comes at a price. If you depend on apps even for small things every day, then at the end of the year you will find that you have spent thousands of rupees just for convenience.
Overall, visiting a nearby street vendor for fresh vegetables is beneficial for both pocket and health. This balance between time and money will keep your financial planning in order.