NCERT Textbook: Markets Around Us | Polity and Constitution (Prelims) by IAS Masters - UPSC PDF Download

 Page 1


76 Social and Political Life
Markets Around Us
We go to the market to buy many things ? vegetables, soap, toothpaste, masala,
bread, rice, dal, clothes, notebooks, biscuits, etc. If we make a list of the goods
that we purchase, it would be really long. There are many kinds of markets that
we may visit for our everyday needs: these can include shops, hawker?s stalls in
our neighbourhood, a weekly market, a large shopping complex, perhaps even a
mall. In this chapter, we look at some of these markets and try to understand
how the goods that are sold there reach buyers, who these buyers are, who these
sellers are, and the sorts of problems they face.
7
CHAPTER
Page 2


76 Social and Political Life
Markets Around Us
We go to the market to buy many things ? vegetables, soap, toothpaste, masala,
bread, rice, dal, clothes, notebooks, biscuits, etc. If we make a list of the goods
that we purchase, it would be really long. There are many kinds of markets that
we may visit for our everyday needs: these can include shops, hawker?s stalls in
our neighbourhood, a weekly market, a large shopping complex, perhaps even a
mall. In this chapter, we look at some of these markets and try to understand
how the goods that are sold there reach buyers, who these buyers are, who these
sellers are, and the sorts of problems they face.
7
CHAPTER
77
77
Page 3


76 Social and Political Life
Markets Around Us
We go to the market to buy many things ? vegetables, soap, toothpaste, masala,
bread, rice, dal, clothes, notebooks, biscuits, etc. If we make a list of the goods
that we purchase, it would be really long. There are many kinds of markets that
we may visit for our everyday needs: these can include shops, hawker?s stalls in
our neighbourhood, a weekly market, a large shopping complex, perhaps even a
mall. In this chapter, we look at some of these markets and try to understand
how the goods that are sold there reach buyers, who these buyers are, who these
sellers are, and the sorts of problems they face.
7
CHAPTER
77
77
78 Social and Political Life
Why do people go to a weekly
market? Give three reasons.
Who are the sellers in a weekly
market? Why don?t we find big
business persons in these
markets?
Why are things cheap in the
weekly market?
Explain with an example how
people bargain in the market. Can
you think of a situation where the
bargain would be unfair?
Sameer is a small trader in the weekly
market. He buys clothes from a large
trader in the town and sells them in six
different markets in a week. He and
other cloth sellers move in groups. They
hire a mini van for this. His customers
are from villages that are near the
marketplace. At festival times, such as
during Deepavali or Pongal, he does
good business.
Sameer: Seller of clothes
Weekly market
A weekly market is so called because it is held on a
specific day of the week. Weekly markets do not have
permanent shops. Traders set up shops for the day
and then close them up in the evening.  Then they
may set up at a different place the next day. There
are thousands of such markets in India. People come
here for their everyday requirements.
Many things in weekly markets are available at
cheaper rates. This is because when shops are in
permanent buildings, they incur a lot of expenditure
? they have to pay rent, electricity, fees to the
government. They also have to pay wages to their
workers. In weekly markets, these shop owners store
the things they sell at home. Most of them are helped
by their family members and, hence, do not need to
hire workers. Weekly markets also have a large
number of shops selling the same goods which means
there is competition among them. If some trader were
to charge a high price, people would move to another
shop where the same thing may be available more
cheaply or where the buyer can bargain and bring
the price down.
One of the advantages of weekly markets is that
most things you need are available at one place.
Whether you want vegetables, groceries or cloth
items, utensils ? all of them can be found here. You
do not have to go to different areas to buy different
things. People also prefer going to a market where
they have a choice and a variety of goods.
Shops in the neighbourhood
We have seen that the weekly markets offer a variety
of goods. However, we also buy things from other
kinds of markets. There are many shops that sell
goods and services in our neighbourhoods. We may
buy milk from the dairy, groceries from departmental
stores, stationery, eatables or medicines from other
Page 4


76 Social and Political Life
Markets Around Us
We go to the market to buy many things ? vegetables, soap, toothpaste, masala,
bread, rice, dal, clothes, notebooks, biscuits, etc. If we make a list of the goods
that we purchase, it would be really long. There are many kinds of markets that
we may visit for our everyday needs: these can include shops, hawker?s stalls in
our neighbourhood, a weekly market, a large shopping complex, perhaps even a
mall. In this chapter, we look at some of these markets and try to understand
how the goods that are sold there reach buyers, who these buyers are, who these
sellers are, and the sorts of problems they face.
7
CHAPTER
77
77
78 Social and Political Life
Why do people go to a weekly
market? Give three reasons.
Who are the sellers in a weekly
market? Why don?t we find big
business persons in these
markets?
Why are things cheap in the
weekly market?
Explain with an example how
people bargain in the market. Can
you think of a situation where the
bargain would be unfair?
Sameer is a small trader in the weekly
market. He buys clothes from a large
trader in the town and sells them in six
different markets in a week. He and
other cloth sellers move in groups. They
hire a mini van for this. His customers
are from villages that are near the
marketplace. At festival times, such as
during Deepavali or Pongal, he does
good business.
Sameer: Seller of clothes
Weekly market
A weekly market is so called because it is held on a
specific day of the week. Weekly markets do not have
permanent shops. Traders set up shops for the day
and then close them up in the evening.  Then they
may set up at a different place the next day. There
are thousands of such markets in India. People come
here for their everyday requirements.
Many things in weekly markets are available at
cheaper rates. This is because when shops are in
permanent buildings, they incur a lot of expenditure
? they have to pay rent, electricity, fees to the
government. They also have to pay wages to their
workers. In weekly markets, these shop owners store
the things they sell at home. Most of them are helped
by their family members and, hence, do not need to
hire workers. Weekly markets also have a large
number of shops selling the same goods which means
there is competition among them. If some trader were
to charge a high price, people would move to another
shop where the same thing may be available more
cheaply or where the buyer can bargain and bring
the price down.
One of the advantages of weekly markets is that
most things you need are available at one place.
Whether you want vegetables, groceries or cloth
items, utensils ? all of them can be found here. You
do not have to go to different areas to buy different
things. People also prefer going to a market where
they have a choice and a variety of goods.
Shops in the neighbourhood
We have seen that the weekly markets offer a variety
of goods. However, we also buy things from other
kinds of markets. There are many shops that sell
goods and services in our neighbourhoods. We may
buy milk from the dairy, groceries from departmental
stores, stationery, eatables or medicines from other
79
Sujata and Kavita were sent to buy
groceries from their neighbourhood
shop. This was the shop they usually
went to. It was crowded today. The
shop owner managed the shop
herself with two helpers. When they
managed to get into the shop, Sujata
dictated a list to her. She in turn
began asking her helpers to weigh
and pack the items. Meanwhile
Kavita looked around?
On the top left shelf there were
different brands of detergent cakes.
Another shelf had toothpastes,
talcum powder, shampoo, hair oil.
The different brands and different
colours looked so attractive.  On the
floor lay a few sacks.
It took almost 20 minutes to weigh
and pack all the groceries.  Then
Sujata showed her ?notebook.?  The
woman noted the amount of
` 3000 in the notebook and gave it
back.  She also noted the amount
in her big register.  Then Sujata took the heavy bags out of the shop.  Her family will pay for the
purchases in the first week of next month.
Why did Sujata carry a notebook?
Do you think this system is
useful? Can there be problems?
What are the different kinds of
shops that you find in your
neighbourhood? What do you
purchase from them?
Why are goods sold in permanent
shops costlier than those sold in
the weekly markets or by roadside
hawkers?
Chapter 7: Markets Around Us
shops. Many of these are permanent shops, while
others are roadside stalls such as that of the
vegetable hawker, the fruit vendor, the mechanic,
etc.
Shops in the neighbourhood are useful in many
ways.  They are near our home and we can go there
on any day of the week.  Usually, the buyer and seller
know each other and these shops also provide goods
on credit. This means that you can pay for the
purchases later, as we saw in Sujata?s case, for
example.
Page 5


76 Social and Political Life
Markets Around Us
We go to the market to buy many things ? vegetables, soap, toothpaste, masala,
bread, rice, dal, clothes, notebooks, biscuits, etc. If we make a list of the goods
that we purchase, it would be really long. There are many kinds of markets that
we may visit for our everyday needs: these can include shops, hawker?s stalls in
our neighbourhood, a weekly market, a large shopping complex, perhaps even a
mall. In this chapter, we look at some of these markets and try to understand
how the goods that are sold there reach buyers, who these buyers are, who these
sellers are, and the sorts of problems they face.
7
CHAPTER
77
77
78 Social and Political Life
Why do people go to a weekly
market? Give three reasons.
Who are the sellers in a weekly
market? Why don?t we find big
business persons in these
markets?
Why are things cheap in the
weekly market?
Explain with an example how
people bargain in the market. Can
you think of a situation where the
bargain would be unfair?
Sameer is a small trader in the weekly
market. He buys clothes from a large
trader in the town and sells them in six
different markets in a week. He and
other cloth sellers move in groups. They
hire a mini van for this. His customers
are from villages that are near the
marketplace. At festival times, such as
during Deepavali or Pongal, he does
good business.
Sameer: Seller of clothes
Weekly market
A weekly market is so called because it is held on a
specific day of the week. Weekly markets do not have
permanent shops. Traders set up shops for the day
and then close them up in the evening.  Then they
may set up at a different place the next day. There
are thousands of such markets in India. People come
here for their everyday requirements.
Many things in weekly markets are available at
cheaper rates. This is because when shops are in
permanent buildings, they incur a lot of expenditure
? they have to pay rent, electricity, fees to the
government. They also have to pay wages to their
workers. In weekly markets, these shop owners store
the things they sell at home. Most of them are helped
by their family members and, hence, do not need to
hire workers. Weekly markets also have a large
number of shops selling the same goods which means
there is competition among them. If some trader were
to charge a high price, people would move to another
shop where the same thing may be available more
cheaply or where the buyer can bargain and bring
the price down.
One of the advantages of weekly markets is that
most things you need are available at one place.
Whether you want vegetables, groceries or cloth
items, utensils ? all of them can be found here. You
do not have to go to different areas to buy different
things. People also prefer going to a market where
they have a choice and a variety of goods.
Shops in the neighbourhood
We have seen that the weekly markets offer a variety
of goods. However, we also buy things from other
kinds of markets. There are many shops that sell
goods and services in our neighbourhoods. We may
buy milk from the dairy, groceries from departmental
stores, stationery, eatables or medicines from other
79
Sujata and Kavita were sent to buy
groceries from their neighbourhood
shop. This was the shop they usually
went to. It was crowded today. The
shop owner managed the shop
herself with two helpers. When they
managed to get into the shop, Sujata
dictated a list to her. She in turn
began asking her helpers to weigh
and pack the items. Meanwhile
Kavita looked around?
On the top left shelf there were
different brands of detergent cakes.
Another shelf had toothpastes,
talcum powder, shampoo, hair oil.
The different brands and different
colours looked so attractive.  On the
floor lay a few sacks.
It took almost 20 minutes to weigh
and pack all the groceries.  Then
Sujata showed her ?notebook.?  The
woman noted the amount of
` 3000 in the notebook and gave it
back.  She also noted the amount
in her big register.  Then Sujata took the heavy bags out of the shop.  Her family will pay for the
purchases in the first week of next month.
Why did Sujata carry a notebook?
Do you think this system is
useful? Can there be problems?
What are the different kinds of
shops that you find in your
neighbourhood? What do you
purchase from them?
Why are goods sold in permanent
shops costlier than those sold in
the weekly markets or by roadside
hawkers?
Chapter 7: Markets Around Us
shops. Many of these are permanent shops, while
others are roadside stalls such as that of the
vegetable hawker, the fruit vendor, the mechanic,
etc.
Shops in the neighbourhood are useful in many
ways.  They are near our home and we can go there
on any day of the week.  Usually, the buyer and seller
know each other and these shops also provide goods
on credit. This means that you can pay for the
purchases later, as we saw in Sujata?s case, for
example.
80 Social and Political Life
Why do you think the guard
wanted to stop Kavita and Sujata
from entering the shop? What
would you say if someone stops
you from entering a shop in a
market?
You might have noticed that there are different
kinds of sellers even in the neighbourhood markets.
Some of them have permanent shops and others sell
their goods on the roadside.
Anzal Mall is a five-floor shopping
complex. Kavita and Sujata were
enjoying going up and down in
the lift.  It seemed as if it was
made of glass and they were able
to see outside as they went up.
It was fascinating to see so many
different kinds of shops such as
the ice-cream, burger, pizza and
other food shops; shops full of
home appliances; footwear and
leather items as well as
bookshops.
While wandering about on the
third floor they entered a shop
that was selling branded ready-
made clothes.The security guard
looked at them as if he wanted
to stop them but he did not say
anything. They looked at some
dresses and then looked at the
price tag. None of them was less
than ` 3,000, almost five times the weekly market price!  Sujata whispered to Kavita, ?I?ll take you to
another shop which has good quality ready-made clothes at more reasonable prices?.
Shopping complexes and malls
So far we have seen two kinds of marketplaces ?
weekly markets and markets in our neighbourhood.
There are other markets in the urban area that have
many shops, popularly called shopping complexes.
These days, in many urban areas, you also have large
multi-storeyed air-conditioned buildings with shops
on different floors, known as malls. In these urban
markets, you get both branded and non-branded
goods. As you have read in the chapter on advertising,