All across our country today we find stores known as 49 to 99. These stores offer foreign goods at very low prices, and have become the focus of many shopoholic people.

Indians have been known to buy goods that are high on quality, longer lasting and good looking. But with these stores that attract the buyers with low prices, good looking products, which have no quality are eating into the Indian market.

Buyers will go to any lengths to spend and save money, even if it means buying cheap and no-quality products.

Coming from across the borders of India these products are made in low grade plastic; biscuits and food products that have no dates and taste stale when eaten, soaps and detergents that have no quality markings - etc. etc.

With stringent rules coming into play - readable labels, correct pricing, labels containg the contentual factors of the product - seem like a dream. For these products at such shops carry unredable labels in Arabic, Thai, Chinese and cannot be read and understood, except for the price tags given by the shop owners.

These products are known to last for very little time and one has to go back to shop again. Indian products on the other hand have good quality, cost less - because we do not have to spend money so often to buy the product for eg - a handwash bottle cost Rs 49 or 99 everytime at these shops, but a Lifebuoy refill of handwash costs just Rs 25/-, and is my money’s worth completely.

This was a hands on experience for me when I chose to check out products at 49 to 99 shops, I have come away with more sense, I choose to buy Indian products anytime and anywhere except, exceptional products like maybe a perfume or a beauty product etc from well known European brand.

Now here of Chinese made cars and bikes arriving in India, I wonder what will be the quality of the product - I hope not ‘use and throw away’. I wonder how many accidents and lives will be lost before the public becomes aware of such below par products being dumped in India in the name of importing foreign products.

But beware what you buy in the name of ‘foreign labels’.