Carry-(your)-Bags

The demographics of today’s generation are racing at a speed as that of a rocket into the space.  The amount of shopping than an average person does is more than his needs and requirements. The reasons for this being the wide variety of choices, higher pay among people and higher standard of living. With such advent the frequency of people visiting stores has increased (though the race for online shopping is quickly taking a pace ahead)

Shopping in the olden days used to be limited to the need s and requirements or carried on only during festivals and occasions. People used to carry their own bags so that they need not depend on the shopkeepers to provide them with their carriers. With times changing people believed that carrying cloth bags or rather jute bags in their hands while shopping would make them feel low or decrease their levels of attitude.

The recent law introduced wherein the shopkeepers charge for plastic bags from public (as seen in stores and malls) in most of the cities is followed thoroughly. It was an action to curb people from excessive use of plastic bags and clogging the environment. However ever wondered how much is the amount that is charged for such plastic bags. In comparison to the amount of shopping paying 5 or 10 rupees for each of the bag it really does not burn a hole in the pocket.

The stores and shop owners should instead support the environment in other ways. By charging for the plastic bags the storekeepers do not really think of well being of the environment. Rather they should provide jute and cloth bags for the purchases made by the customers. Paying a little higher for such bags may not seem feasible all the time for the customers. This will make customers’ realize that they need to carry their own bags (preferably cotton/jute) and also the stores will build a stronger and eco friendly environment.

If such interests are considered well by everyone even with a small initiative it will create a bigger impact on the society. It goes well by saying-

Carrying a plastic in hand will make no human great

An eco friendly gesture will positively change your fate. 

Cross Publicity: Essentially a Boon?

Shopping, a term that is alluring and desirable to many at the same time depressing for a few (husbands to know it better :D In the times where recession and global slowdown that seeped in, it did not note a heavy change in the decrease in the number of people moving out for shopping. Trends have changed over the years and global environment comes to play a role in the shopping mania.

Many cities have viewed, experienced and made it habitual to carry along bags to make purchases for a condition that the plastic bags are now being charged so that there could be less consumption (as viewed in Chennai). Its need was to make people consume the older means of carrying along jute and paper bags. Walking along with a cover struck up with an marketing aspect of cross publicity while shopping at one of the stores.

People carry shopping bags of one store and make purchases at another giving an idea to other shoppers about a place from where one would have made purchases. I have termed this concept as Cross Publicity. For example I visited Big Bazaar and made purchases but had been carrying a bag of UCB which means I am indirectly alluring people to make purchases from UCB. This cross publicity holds advantage of advertising for another stores and shops which may or may not be known to people. On the other hand is it essentially a boon. In the stated situation does it really benefit Big Bazaar in any way.

In this case it has a "Non-Competitive Cross Publicity" as the two stores Big Bazaar and UCB are not directly related in terms of their products and services. Likewise two similar stores like those selling apparels, garments will face "Competitive Cross Publicity" wherein similar products and services are sold at both the stores. A thought that caught up while carrying out a leisure activity came out with a new marketing concept "Cross Publicity". Do u really think its that hard to promote?