As I enetered Shoppers Stop the first thing I felt was a sense of formality in the air with statement making ambience, almost a British touch to the Security and staff moving around brisquely in almost an airlines staff kind of business like manner.
But the facade soon disapeared in thin air as I broke the ice with the sales attendants and soon I hit it out famously with the sales staff who quite happily upset a few display stacks to help my wife & daughter buy some clothes, the unbranded ones were definitely on the quite expensive side I felt.
As we moved to the branded section the prices were the same as you would get at any other store. The variety of brands plus a fairly wide price range in each was spread over a sparwling floor space all very well displayed with easy access to the customer to feel the product.
And like you have the "Flying Returns" you have the "Shopping Returns" reward points, but you have to first pay about Rs.160/- and set up a "First Citizen"(FC)Customer Account where they give you a card to accumulate your points. They also have a First Citizen -Citi Bank co-branded card which records the FC points too.
Shoppers Stop come in all sizes from their Pioneer Shop at Andehri to the Huge In-Orbit MAll.
Parking charges are refundable when you buy goods worth some 200 or so. However if your purchases at Shoppers Stop exceed 40K a year, the parking is free for the next year.
They send you mailers of their Sales, which according to SS attract large crowds. FC Members get to shop on first preference for a first few days of these sales.
But on most days through out you get plenty of space, time & service to shop at your liesure during which you can upset the whole stack if need be to find your choice.( I would not try that at the crockery store though).
The display, the climate, the ambience, the sevice is first class.
The prices as long as there is a manufacturer’s MRP is reasonable and perhaps competitive. But you get the best stuff.
The prices of unbranded goods have perhaps to be braught to Shoppers Stop standards!
And I would hazzard to profile a Shopper’s Stop buyer to be in the 25-30K+ per month income range.