Why I Hate Kinder Joy

A couple of days ago while returning from work I stopped at a shop near my house in Velachery. An old woman and a little girl were standing before the shop. The woman was counting some old ten rupee notes while the little one was busy. She wanted chocolate, not the usual ones but Kinder Joy. The poor woman was struggling to pronounce the word so she asked the shopkeeper, Mutta chocklate irkka, saar?,. The shopkeeper laughed. The little one's ego was hurt. Patti, Kinder Joy, thereelya, she tried to explain it.

The shopkeeper's reply was a bit surprising. "If I stock Kinder Joy, I will definitely lose my regular customers. I used to stock it but you know whenever children come to the shop, they ask for it. The parents (rich or poor) will lose Rs 30 at a stretch. It's a kind of addiction that children get from this egg-shaped toy. The next day they will again ask for it. So my customers suggested I must stop ordering this toy which I obliged." True, that's why you see Kinder Joy only in big supermarkets, not the small shops near your flat.

Three years ago, when I first took my daughter Mihika (will turn five this March) to a super market, I asked her what chocolate she would like to have. She immediately said something which I couldn't understand. Even the shopwallah was helpless. But surprisingly, a boy who was standing near us understood what Mihi was trying to convey. "Uncle, she wants Kinder Joy," he said. The shop didn't have that particular chocolate. "Sir, it's out of stock. Will come tomorrow," said the shopkeeper. See the power of Kinder Joy. The next day when we went for shopping, Mihi reminded me of her favourite chocolate. The shopkeeper was happy, he had just got a fresh stock. Back home, while Mihi was eating the chocolate-half, I tried to assemble the toy-half. It was fun but 30 rupees for a toy like this was too much. Once assembled, the toy (aircraft, ship, doll etc...) would stay for a while and then it would disappear. Although I had bought a number of Kinder Joys, I couldn't find even a single piece in my daughter's toy box.

Let me go back to the old woman and the little one. The shopkeeper told the lady to check it at his rival's shop nearby. As she walked, she once again started counting the currency notes. There were five ten rupee notes. One Kinder Joy will limit her day's overall expenses to the remaining twenty rupees. A magic at the poor man's cost!....

Comments

Viju Cherian said…
I think your being unfair to KJ.
It is a commercial product and the compnay is not bound to regulate the price.
I would blame the shopekeeper who is forgetting his customers and trying to cater to all sections of the society.
As for the patti, she should know better.
11:24 pm
mtsaju said…
true, it's a product. a magical product...right, viju?
1:44 am
M Girish Nair said…
It's a commercial call. There are many products in this world which fancy any child. Therefore its not the KJ's (poor) fault to be blamed for. Customer should take a wise decision.
2:54 am
mtsaju said…
Girish, poor KJ?
3:02 am
Anonymous said…
its real waste of money... hats off to the Marketing team of KJ. Who has made this useless product such a super hit among kids
3:37 am
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