Shoe Trees - the life extenders for your shoes

Have you heard about "Shoe Trees"? It is hard to guess the application/purpose of this device, with just its name. Recently, I came to know about this device from a friend of mine, who has been there in US for 30+ years. We both were attending a trade show and our conversation led to my brand new shoes. I told him that this is the costliest pair of shoes that I ever bought. He asked  what do you do to maintain your shoes or extend its life? I was puzzled with his question. He continued to ask "Do you know that there is a way to keep the shoes from smelling bad?" He said, you should buy "Shoe Trees" and shared with me lots of interesting details about it.

Shoe Trees are very commonly used in US. The main purpose of Shoe Trees is to absorb moisture from the shoes and there by, extend the shoes' life and prevent the shoes from smelling bad. It looks like many young kids are forced by their parents to use Shoe Trees. Parents do not want to spend big bucks on high quality shoes and that too, not very often. Hence, they wanted the kids to use Shoe Trees to extend the Shoes' life. Moreover, kids get involved in intense activities and hence it makes sense for them to use Shoe Trees to absorb moisture from their shoes. Once you return home in the evening, you just need to insert these Shoe Trees into your shoes and leave them for the whole night. They'll take care of the remaining job.

On hearing about Shoe Trees, I was wondering, why "Shoe Trees" aren't very common in India. In fact, our feet get moist easily because of the hot weather in India. I guess the economics are making Shoe Trees unaffordable? In US, Shoe Trees are sold anywhere from $20 - $40. In India, many people cannot afford shoes. And the ones who buy shoes look for a bargain and end up buying shoes for half that cost. Also, because of the excessive wear & tear of shoes in India, you cannot technically "extend" the life of shoes. If you are using your leather shoes everyday, it may hardly last for a year or two. Also, during the winter season, you cannot avoid stepping into water clogged roads. So, the mantra of 'long life for shoes' doesn't hold good, here in India.

Anyways, if you have the practise of wearing leather shoes to work in US, you should definitely consider buying Shoe Trees. Based on what I heard from couple of people in US, these toys 'really' extend the life of shoes, if used regularly.


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11/45 - The rarest size
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Loan application process in India - very simple

The last decade in India has brought a remarkable transformation in our society and people's spending pattern. A drive on the Indian roads will tell you that the number of ATM machines/Banks have increased many folds. The ATMs/Banks want you to withdraw cash or get loans and SPEND. From a 'savings' based society, India is trying to morph into a 'spending' society.

It is hard to find people in the salaried class, without a house loan or a car loan to pay. You are sure to run into representatives of Banks trying to sell Credit Cards or Loans... especially in places like shopping malls. You'll get a call from these 'hunters', right after you open your bank account or when you get a new mobile connection.. You'll even get marketing calls/text messages on your mobile about Credit Card offers or Loan offers. These offers are at times very tempting that you find it hard to resist.

Recently, I applied for a car loan in HDFC. The process is very simple. You can apply for a car loan through their web interface. All you need to do is just provide your personal details and select the loan amount you want. I got a call from the Service Rep, in just 5 minutes after pressing the "Submit" button for loan application. You don't even have to go to the bank. They'll send reps to your house to collect all the necessary documents.

Unlike in US, where loans are issued based on the credit history of a person, Indian banks go through a manual verification procedure. I think banks outsource the verification process to a 3rd party. They'll send Reps to your home, work place etc., to verify your records. This process is at times, very unpleasant/awkward. They make sure that all the information you had furnished is accurate. I was quite surprised by the time they took to process the loan application. In just 2 days, the loan application got approved.

The loan application procedure is more or less similar for other banks, too. I heard that government owned banks take a longer time to process the loan application. On the other hand, government owned banks provide you a better interest rate when compared to privately owned banks. You can even bargain/negotiate interest rates with banks. For example, I was able to negotiate the rates to bring it down by 2%. If you are a long-time customer of a bank, you get some special treatment on the interest rates.

When you apply for loans, it is better to check with 2 or 3 banks and pick the best offer. Since the whole process gets completed in a few days, it is worth the try.

Saravana Stores - The "Walmart" in Chennai

Since I wrote a post on my recent visit to Skywalk Ampa Mall, I thought I also should share my experience regarding Saravana Selvarathnam Stores. This is the new shopping complex of Saravanas group, in Usman Road, T.Nagar. It is a multi-storeyed shopping  complex selling a wide variety of items such as dresses, utensils, electrical appliances, electronics, jewelery, sports equipment, toys, groceries, and sweets. (Also read: List of things to pack & bring from US)

Saravana Selvrathnam stores is lot more spacious than Saravana Stores. So, you don't have to go through the experience of getting squeezed by the fellow shoppers. There are lots of helpers around and they'll help you to locate the items. Unlike in Saravana stores where the goods are just piled up one over the other, the goods are neatly arranged in Saravana Selvarathnam Stores.

Similar to the folks visiting Walmart in US, people go to Saravana Stores or Saravana Selvrathnam stores to buy inexpensive goods. Most of the electronic goods are non-branded and you would be pleasantly surprised by their cost. Another nice thing about Saravana Selvrathnam stores is that you can find all the items under one roof. They have a very diverse collection of goods. For some items, you may have to compromise on the quality. (Also read: How much money do you need to R2I?)

I normally go there by 9 or 9.30 am. The store is less crowded and you can easily find a parking lot near the store. They have billing sections in all the floors and you don't have to stand in long lines to get your items billed. You can even get some of your dress items stitched in less than an hour. Isn't that cool?

They have a system in place for preventing thefts/looting. They seal all the bags that you bring-in and all the items that are 'paid' for. That is a key difference between Walmart & Saravana Selvarathnam Stores :)

Saravana Selvarathnam stores is for people who want to buy inexpensive items and for people who want to buy several things under one roof.  For people like me, it is the Walmart in Chennai.

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Skywalk Ampa Mall - Multiplex++

Skywalk Ampa Mall - Multiplex++

Multiplexes are gaining lots of attention these days, in India. Growing economy, increasing disposable income and the need for recreation has spurred the growth of multiplexes. Multiplexes promise entertainment, shopping, and dining - all under one roof. The latest giant multiplex to show up in Chennai is Skywalk - Ampa Mall. The mall was open to public in last September and most of the shops are already rented out. All big brand shopping outlets such as WestSide, Star Bazaar, Landmark, Reebok, Lilliput and Bose are there. Skymall also houses a number of restaurants including international brands such as KFC, McDonalds, & Pizzahut.

We dined at McDonalds in Skywalk. In US, we hardly dined at McDonalds due to the lack of proper veggie food (except for their break fast menu). But, McDonalds in India offers lots of custom/localized choices such as McVeggie, & McAloo Tikki. A McVeggie costs just Rs.45. If you make it a 'meal' with medium fries & medium coke, they charge you Rs.95. I guess they make lots of money in fries & drinks, than in burgers :)

We spent nearly an hour and a half in Skywalk, just doing window shopping. The mall is well maintained and appears to be very spacious. The number of shops is less when compared to Spencers Plaza. However, the facility is well maintained and the shops are targeted at upper class families. PVR cinemas & Landmark are giving finishing touches to their interiors. They are yet to open up.

Skywalk has a nice multi-storeyed parking structure. However, the roads around Skywalk are not equipped to handle the additional traffic. I couldn't imagine how bad the traffic would be, once PVR cinemas open up. The Poonamalle High Road & Nelson Manickam Road intersection is already very packed. A flyover at the intersection would definitely help.

Skywalk is a boon to poeple living in/around Anna Nagar/Aminjikarai area. They don't have to commute too far to get to a decent shopping mall/theatre. And for me, I can just walk to a shopping mall :)

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Nilkamal's @home - Not designed for me
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Nilkamal's @home - Not designed for me

I had been to the @home store in Nelson Manickam (NM) Road, Chennai during this weekend. Every day, I go past NM Road, I used to stare at this store from outside. I wanted to buy a kid's writing table, this weekend - so I decided to go to this shop. (Also read: R2I - List of things to pack/bring from US)

Normally, wherever you go in Chennai, parking lots are filled with 2-wheelers. Surprisingly, in @home showroom, the parking lot was filled with cars and there were only few two-wheelers. I was puzzled by this. I parked my two-wheeler and entered the showroom. A few steps into the store, I realized that this isn't a shopping place for me. The store was sparkling with lots of gift articles (designer class) and all of them with a 4 digit price tag. I climbed up the stairs to go to the 2nd floor and it was filled with model bedrooms. If you had been to IKEA showrooms in US, you would understand what I'm talking about. I was quite impressed by their presentation and of course, all of them were very costly. The 3rd floor had model living rooms & kitchen. I can confidently say that the place was for people who make at least 5 or 6 digit income, everyday (such as cine stars, business men, politicians etc.,).

Finally, I couldn't find a writing table for my kid. I came back very disappointed. But, if you are really looking to furnish your home with things that you would normally see in a movie and if you are ready to spend a lot of money, Nilkamal's @home is the place to go.

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Skywalk Ampa Mall - Multiplex ++
The need for more money never ends

11/45 - The rarest size

What happened to Chennai? What happened to all those tall folks with long feet? I suddenly felt singled out. I couldn't believe that I'm abnormally tall.

(Also read: Shoe Trees - the life extenders for your shoes)

I wanted to buy a pair of 'formal' shoes (My old pair retired after 4 years of service). I used to wear Lee Cooper in the past, when I was in Chennai. So, I decided to buy my favorite Lee Cooper model. I started my search at Khal's foot world in Nelson Manickam road. They told that they don't have size 11/45. They called a few other branches and confirmed that they couldn't find the size + model combo, there as well. They were trying to convince me to buy size 10/44. I told them a big NO.

I then went to Spencers Plaza. I visited a few showrooms there and none of them had size 11 (everyone had size 10 and below). I was disappointed very much. I visited a few shops in T. Nagar, but in vain. I couldn't find my favorite model & size 11/45. I then went to the Bata Showroom in NM road & asked them regarding the availability of formal leather shoes of size 11. They didn't have any. I then went to Anna Nagar Woodlands showroom and bought a pair of shoes (semi-formal) for INR 27xx. This is the costliest of all my shoes. I didn't like the model much - but I don't have much choice.

It took me the whole Saturday evening to find a pair of shoes of size 11/45. I used to buy them when I was in India 6 years back. Something has happened in the last few years and it appears to be strange. Anyways, good luck guys who want to buy shoes of size 11/45.

Also read:  

Shoe Trees - the life extenders for your shoes
Goods in US - lots of options & cheaper price