Business as usual.

First thing in the morning, it's breakfast as usual. Recession or not, there must be food.


Others in the family need food too. So, some cooked food to take home. Good family relationship starts here.


Next comes health. Without which, what's the use of wealth? Fruits to provide fibre, vitamins and minerals.


Then, if if you're not a vegetarian, here's lean meat.


Well, vegetables is essential to everyone's health.


According to health experts, fish is better than meat. Oily fish gives important vitamin E.


And unless we go back to our cave-dwelling days, clothes is a must to venture forth from the privacy of our room.



The world may panic. The people may worry about money and business or work. Nonetheless, life goes on. And that is the loveliest part of all.
For when life goes on, the basic necessities of life need to be there. What is more basic to life than food and drinks? That’s besides air, of course. But then, that’s free!

So, in times of recession people in the food business are having the same good or better times. People have to eat. There’s just no way out of that. People still do their marketing. Where they do it, that’s the difference.

Two days ago, Tang, an old friend of mine told me the wife went marketing in the supermarket and found so few people there. According to him, the wife was astonished to find more sales girls than shoppers. For the customers, that was good as choosing the best of the fruits, vegetables, meat and fish could be done leisurely with no worry of being left with the not so good ones. Then, when it comes to paying, there is no need to wait a long time; there’s hardly any queue.

That was true for I did pop into the supermarket she mentioned and … Well, it’s the truth!

Two weeks ago, I did go to another supermarket in the evening and found the place with hardly any shoppers. I commented about the situation to two sales persons.
Cheekily, I told one of them, they must be having a nice time, with time to chat with each other and being paid for it. Oh, no! That was not exactly what they hope for. You see, without work, life as a worker can be pretty boring.

And time drags by when you are not busy with something. Ask for confirmation of this fact from retirees who have no worthwhile hobbies or tasks to look forward to.

Then, yesterday morning, as I passed a morning open-market with makeshift tents and stalls, I stopped and went in to find out more. I noticed a lot of people. There were lots of things sold. There were fruits, meat, vegetables, fish and breakfast. People wander around searching for the best value for their money. The food was generally fresh (Here, we have to be careful as some food may not be as fresh as we wish it to be! But then, even in supermarkets, we do come across such food too. Well, maybe less often.) and good. Even more attractive; people found most of the food cheaper than elsewhere.

Even in this place, there are stalls where more people gather. Why? According to my short survey, price creates the difference. You see, even in places where many people go, the stall with equally good food at a lower price always wins.
Yes, the food that was cheaper than those found elsewhere attract the most buyers. The reason is obvious. Good, fresh food at a reasonably cheap price.
When money is scarce or uncertainly of remaining sufficient, people just have to be careful with their money. We can stop buying luxuries but we cannot stop buying food. To stretch our money, we could hunt around for food that requires less spending and more savings for the very near future.

So, if you were in the food business, what would you do to ensure your business brings in the customers?

And if you are the customer, there's always places to choose to get your food.