Discounted to death: the silent slide of India’s kirana shops

A bottle of Pepsi for 750 and delivered in 10 minutes.

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For most urban Indians, that sounds like convenience. However, for the small family-run kirana store, once the life-blood of everyday commerce, it sounds like extinction.Vineet Kumar's shop has been a mainstay in Delhi's Malviya Nagar for over half a century, for most of which the 69-year-old has been at the helm. His trademark cooler, brimming with bottles of unbranded banta soda, remains a hit among regulars.

While he brushes off probing questions about business pressures, a steady stream of customers stops by to buy loose cigarettes, soft drinks, and candy.“It’s impacted me very little,” Kumar says of the yellow-jacketed 10-minute delivery agents criss-crossing the neighbourhood all day. “From a business point of view, there has been a difference, but I’m satisfied,” he says.Kumar estimates that around a tenth of his business has been affected, but he is still hopeful. “We have milk and cigarettes, and we offer delivery,” he adds, highlighting the service and convenience he continues to provide over quick commerce platforms like Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart.

Just around the comer, Anuradha Taneja feels the blow more acutely. The 54-year-old, who has run her store for 25 years, says business is down by 30%. “I used to have all these young students and working people who came to buy their supplies. Now they just sit at home and order, and it reaches them in?10?minutes,”?she says.Unlike some other kiranas, Taneja does not stock fresh vegetables, so casual grocery buyers are fewer. Instead, she depends more on passersby — a demographic that is increasingly vanishing.