I (used to ) LOVE CROSSWORDS.
Its the Book Strore that defined book selling in India.
I still remember the opening of the first store at Mahalaxmi and the legend that became CW.
My dad attended a Digital Workshop in CW in 99 in which I presented contests2win.com and he told me that he finally understood what adver-games meant on that day.
I’ve been visiting CW Kemps Corner for the past decade and am so so saddened by its steady decline.
Over the past few months, the bookshelves spaces in the store have been replaced with stands containing toys, handicrafts, stickers and posters, writing instruments, etc etc.
Yesterday, in the evening when I went there, there was this DJ woman screeching away at some kids to make them play some silly games. I had a 5k gift voucher to burn but there were no DVD’s available that I wanted to buy! (the choice was extremely limited).
The DVD guy upstairs was limping ( I asked him what happened – he said he had an accident) .Then why come to work? He was so lazy in looking up the database on the DVD’s I wanted and just said ‘come back next month’….
I walked out of the store promising never to return.
I think this is the END of CW.
And there are strong reasons to support my hypothesis:
– The cost of rentals will make book selling in expensive pockets of Indian cities unviable. At CW Kemps Corner, the 10000 sq feet of area is would cost 20+ lacs a month to rent + other costs…. I dont think selling key chains of some unknown brand is going to make up for the rent + AC costs + Staff + upkeep etc.
– Increasingly, as cities get hyper urban and expensive, FOOD is the only VIABLE business that can flourish. Look at Manhattan NYC and how Deli’s and restaurants thrive there. The Moshe within CW KempsCorner does brisk business. You to wait for a table almost always. Its time Moshe expanded within the store and/or CW opened up a couple of more cafes on the first floor. That will make folks like me come to the store – to snack and have a coffee rather than buy books and DVD’s I cannot find.
– The physical stocking of books and entertainment in ‘diversity’ is looking like a big challenge in the BRICK AND MORTAR space in super urban India. For instance, I wanted the DVD’s of ‘Con-Air’, ‘Kung Fu Hustle’ and all the STAR TREK series yesterday. NONE were available. ( I am sure that they will be available on most e-commerce sites in India).
– There is NO PERSONAL TOUCH left. Sriram – the founder had a presence in the store even though he was not always present. ‘Sriram recommends’ was at eye level in most bookshelves that one browsed. He had cultivated a team who impersonated him – they were knowleadgable, had a view on a book and made recommendations. Today, all I see are seurity guards and some event agents near the book shelves.
I guess its time Crosswords SOLD before it went the BORDERS way.
******
Daman Anand
Agree with all this. I have been using flipkart for some time and their service is very good. They have vast collection of books (looks like they Dropship). The day I started using them, I need not go to any other site for books and DVD.
Gaurang Bhatt
Yup. I remember going there 4-5 years ago frequently in afternoon to browse books and read couple of chapters before buying it. Ambience was actually conducive to do that, today it is almost always cacophony. Anyway after Kindle, i hardly buy paper books. You are right Moshe’s is the only reason to visit it.
Kalpesh Gajria
well Crossword guess they are doin good biz thru online sellling of books… selling the almost cheapest in the market compared to other e-commerce websites…
n for DVDs etc try e websites like rhythm house or any other …many are giving online discounts n free delivery…
thnks…
Ashwin C Parulkar
Even Barnes and Nobel in NY it was shocking to see I noticed a big store on Broadway near wall street in last OCt
when I revisited in May 11 its closed down , besides you can get there books on NOOK , there own book reader
its bit inorganic way to read yet.
so CW is having tough times ahead Onlline is the way I guess , Do they have there Apps on mobile?
Jack John
Portal had been Dependent on the Physical assets like shops for long time,Online portal was just an Addon previously now going ahead Physical assets would be just a delivery center for the online orders Online portal have just started to question the existence of Delivery
Mahesh Khambadkone
I received my first Flipkart book this morning, and the process was seamless.
I feel logistics (delivery, storage) is going to be an important facet to the growth of e-commerce in India. We don’t really have the best infrastructure in place and cant rely on lower costs only to justify delivery as opposed to walk-ins.
Sandeep Kelvadi
I had a very similar experience at CW Indiranagar. It looked dead inside. Apart from the security guard at the door and two people behind the counter I didn’t find anyone else. There was a lady ahead of me at the counter who was extremely skeptical of the “offer” they guys were trying to sell her. They made a terrible job out of selling it to her.
I’m a big fan of Flipkart. Their service is excellent. One of the few companies in India that gets the customer satisfaction bit.