Shopping
Doing the weekly ‘big shop’ is not really a thing in India. There are no big Tescos, or Walmart’s with extensive food aisles that I have found. Instead, most of the food / supply shopping is in the local shops. Some will be bigger than others, with some being quite extensive. However, expect more limited offerings and rabbit warren layouts, each of which is not conducive to trolleys full of provisions to last weeks at a time. Instead, it is more biased towards short term needs. Imported produce (such as cheese for example) can be expensive, so check the price labels of any non-local goods before buying to avoid a ‘how much!?’ moment at the till. I learnt that from experience!
Alcohol can only be purchased in designated stores, and depending on where you live these are either very expensive / limited range government run stores (Delhi), or more comprehensive private outlets (Gurgaon), speaking from a Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) perspective anyway. It is also technically illegal to buy alcohol in Gurgaon (in the state of Haryana) and bring it for consumption in Delhi. People do of course but be prepared for the driver to cover the evidence if driving past a checkpoint. Delhi imposes higher taxes on alcohol, hence the reason and the higher expense for such there. It also means that in Delhi it is difficult to find a wider range, and usually the only beers in the liquor store will be high strength local beers. There is an orientation to cheap strong stuff, and the queues of blokes going into these stores buying up cheap whiskeys and a few cans of strong lager can make shopping there feel like an almost seedy practice. Hence the reason why if stockpiling, a trip to Gurgaon and a covert drive back to Delhi with the goods is often a customary practice.
There is a large array of online shopping options too. Food deliveries are the norm, and large numbers of Zomato or Swiggy motorcycles can be seen in most places. These are the two most prevalent delivery services, each of which having a wide array of options ranging from local restaurants to fully fledged grocery shopping. They are easy to use, and Paytm is a good way of making payment also, although cards can also be used (along with the standard OTP requirements). There is also a service in Delhi called Blinkit which is an app-based grocery delivery service that prides itself in rapid delivery of day-to-day goods. If you want normal provisions delivering, then from placing an order to receipt of goods by motorcycle can be in literally minutes. And the pricing is often less than in store at the local shops too. The whole delivery ecosystem is a huge scale in India. While I speak re Delhi specifically these are replicated across the country, and they are a reliable, cheap, and efficient way of shopping / home dining. You are also supporting the delivery drivers by using the service, despite the seeming cheap price. It is possible to add tips in each of these apps, which are said will go in full to the particular delivery agent.
JC in India 