MARKETING OF PERISHABLE GOODS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE

TO FRUITS AND VEGETABELS IN THANJAVUR DISTRICT

QUESTIONNAIRE TO RETAILERS / STREET VENDORS

I. PERSONAL PROFILE OF RETAILERS / STREET VENDORS

Name of the shop (if any) : -----------------------------------------

1. Gender : 1. Male [ ]
2. Female [ ]

2. Age (in years) : 1. Upto 30 [ ]

2. 31 – 40 [ ]
3. 41- 50 [ ]
4. 51 and above [ ]

3. Marital Status : 1.Married [ ]

2. Unmarried [ ]

4. Literacy Level : 1. Upto HSC [ ]

2. Diploma/ ITI [ ]
3. U.G Degree [ ]
3. P.G Degree [ ]
4. Professional Degree [ ]

5. Annual Income (in Rs.) : 1. Upto 1.00,000 [ ]

2. 1,00,001-2,00,000 [ ]
3. 2,00,001-3,00,000 [ ]
4. 3,00,001 and above [ ]

6. Are you a member in any traders’ Union?

1. Yes [ ]
2. No [ ]

II. BUSINESS PROFILE OF THE RETAILER / STREET VENDORS

7. Are you a first generation businessman?

1. Yes [ ]
2. No [ ]

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8. How did you conceive the business idea for selling fruits and vegetables?
1. Success of others sellers [ ]
2. Self interest [ ]
3. Ideas of family members/others [ ]

9. For how long do you deal in this line of business?

1. 0-5 years [ ]
2. 5-10 year [ ]
3. 10-15 years [ ]
4. 16 and above [ ]

10. What is your investment?

1. Upto 50,000 – 1,00,000 [ ]
2. 1,00,000- 1,50,000 [ ]
3. 1,50,000 – 2,00,000 [ ]
4. Above 2,00,000 [ ]

11. Do you have own warehouse?

1. Yes [ ]
2. No [ ]

12. Do you have own building for your shop?

1. Yes [ ]
2. No [ ]

13. What is the major source of funds?

1. Banks / Financial Institutions [ ]
2. Private money lenders [ ]
3. Relatives / friends [ ]
4. Own fund [ ]

14. Have you suffered from loss in your business in the past years?
1. Yes [ ]
2. No [ ]
15. If Yes, What was the reason for such loss?
1. Increase of operating Expenses [ ]
2. Decline of Sales [ ]
3. Decline in price [ ]
4. Heavy Competition [ ]

16. How do you take steps to retain the customers?

1. By credit sales [ ]
2. By price reduction [ ]
3. By offering free door delivery [ ]
4. Any other [ ]

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17. Do your customers bargain with you for reduction of price?
1. At times [ ]
2. Always [ ]
3. Never [ ]

18. From whom you usually purchase the vegetables/fruits?

1. From farmers [ ]
2. From wholesalers [ ]
3. From commission agents [ ]
4. From all the sources [ ]

19. What type of relationship / contact that you maintain with your neighboring shops?
1. Amicable Relationship [ ]
2. No Relationship [ ]

20. Do you purchase from your neighbouring shops in emergency times?

1. Yes [ ]
2. No [ ]

21. What is the major problem in the credit purchase?

1. Shorter credit period [ ]
2. Strict terms & conditions [ ]

22. Who are your regular customers?

1. Monthly salary earning persons [ ]
2. Daily wages earning labourers [ ]
3. Both [ ]

III. SELLING PRACTICES OF THE RETAILERS / STREET VENDORS

23. Which is the most convenient point to sell vegetables and fruits?
1. Vegetable market [ ]
2. Selling in street [ ]
3. Super market/department stores [ ]
4. ‘Uzhavar santhai’ [ ]
5. Others [ ]

24. What is the profit margin usually you fix in your business?
1. Upto 15% [ ]
2. 16% - 30% [ ]
3. 31% - 45% [ ]
4. Cannot be pre determined [ ]

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25. What is the major problem in the cash sales?
1. Slow movement of goods [ ]
2. No repeated purchases by the customers [ ]
3. More selling expenses [ ]

26. What is the effect of credit sales?

1. Bad debts [ ]
2. Loss of customers [ ]

27. What is the maximum period allowed for the credit sales?
1. 15 days [ ]
2. 30 days [ ]
3. Not Applicable [ ]

28. How do you recover the bad debts?

1. By reminding repeatedly [ ]
2. By sending representatives [ ]

29. What is the benefit to business from the credit sales?

1. Business expands [ ]
2. More customers available [ ]
3. Others [ ]

IV. PERCEPTION TOWARDS THE DIFFICULTIES OF RETAILERS /

STREET VENDORS

1. Strongly disagree 2.Disagree 3.Slighlty Disagree

4. Neither Agree Nor Disagree 5.Slightly Agree 6. Agree 7. Strongly Agree

S.No Difficulties 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
30 Low profit margin
31 Promotional cost
32 Bad debts
33 Competition
34 Price level changes
35 Non availability of laborers
36 Loss due to perishability of goods
37 Loss due to time
38 Pre-determination of demand
39 Increase of operating expenses
40 Lack of finance
41 Govt. Restriction

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 42 Credit sales
43 Employee turnover
44 Entry of Big players
45 Market premises
46 Transportation and distribution cost
47 Product quality
48 Packaging
49 Attitudes of the customers
50 Absence of warehousing

V. ATTITUDES OF RETAILERS / STREET VENDORS TOWARDS

MARKETING OF PERISHABLE GOODS

1. Strongly disagree 2.Disagree 3.Slighlty Disagree

4. Neither Agree Nor Disagree 5.Slightly Agree 6. Agree 7. Strongly Agree

Sl. No. Attitude Statement 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

51 PRODUCT
52 Our product quality is good
53 We have a very good brand image
54 Our customer service is good
55 In our shop, availability of goods is at any time
56 If our product is not good, we will change the
products
PRICE
57 Price fluctuations affect my business seriously
58 Reduction of price is beneficial to my business
because turnover will increase
59 Sometimes, enormous price increase will
affect my profitability
60 I am willing to reduce price/ offer concessions
for my regular customers
61 I wish to grant credit for my regular customers
PROMOTION
62 I am willing to maintain always customer
friendliness
63 I am sentimentally attached with the
favorite/regular customers
64 When my customers bargain for low price I
tolerate it.
65 Our business have good promotional strategies
66 We have Clean & spacious atmosphere

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 67 We have availability of staffs to offer help,
individual attention to loyal customers
68 We have good advertisement strategies
PLACE
69 We have good channels of distribution
70 We have timely service system to the
customers
71 Transportation cost is affects the profit of the
business
72 Middlemen earns more profit
GENERAL ATTITUDES
73 My business has a bright future
74 I am willing to recommend this business to my
sons
75 This business has long life
76 I treat the ups and down in this business as
equal.
77 I observe recent trends in this line of business
carefully

VI. SATISFACTORY DIMENSIONS IN RELATION TO YOUR BUSIENSS

1. Highly dissatisfied 2. Dissatisfied 3. Slightly Dissatisfied 4.neutral

5.Slightly satisfied 6.Satisfied 7.Highly satisfied.

Sl.No Sub Dimensions 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

78 Profitability
79 Standard of life
80 Financial position
81 Market conditions
82 Family support
83 Bank assistance
84 Present price level of product
85 Customer relationship
86 Overall satisfaction