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Abstract
In olden days, the business people occupied in various business activities according to their knowledge, availability of fund and the business in which they were interested. They did not hassle about the consumer satisfaction. They did not think the requirements and wants of the patrons. They simply make up some of the products or commodities by following conventional method of production. However, at present entire situation in business is distorted. Almost in all businesses, the consumer and customers are well thought-out and much importance irrespective of the business or nature of goods. Even before designing the product the consumers’ wishes and requirements are measured by the business concerns. They all try to satisfy the customers in all possible ways to keep the existing customers.Traditionally, companies have relied only on differentiation of products and services to retain their customers and to satisfy the consumers. However, times have changed, due to fierce competition from new players entering the market, imitation of new features and increase in number of new offers, customers have acquired new choices and they have also become more price sensitive, which has forced marketers to adapt differentiate and customer oriented strategies in order to enable them to stand out in the competition and gain a competitive edge. The service industry and in particular, the departmental store has been vital to the world economy and undergone the ever intensified competition under recent crisis and economic turn-down period. The modern retail industry is booming across the world. Therefore, it is essential for departmental store to use strategies which focus on satisfying current customers. Supermarkets and Hypermarkets along with the departmental stores have played an important role in food distribution since they appeared. For modern life, the existence of traditional markets has been gradually replaced by their descendent supermarkets and departmental store and people depend on departmental store for their basic grocery needs. Shopping at the grocery store has become a big deal and it is one of the most important food sources for many households. In addition, unlike previous studies that have focused more on service industry such as bank, healthcare, beauty etc., the researchers considered a supermarket setting which fully represents both product and service characteristics. A finished product crosses various intermediaries before it reaches the ultimate consumers. They are wholesalers, dealers, departmental stores, retailers, street vendors and push wheel sellers, etc. The departmental stores are in a condition to meet the ultimate consumers because of the attitudes of the buyers changing the place of their purchase that is in departmental stores rather than in retailers. They know more about the consumers’ tastes and needs than other wholesale traders. The departmental stores have been started in many places in all cities as well as in small rural areas as they can run their shop very nearer to the consumers. The departmental stores deal with all nature of goods like consumer goods, perishable as well as durables and also FMCG.