An IIM student selling toothpaste to another IIM student; If you’re wondering where it can be seen and, for matter of chance, you are in city of Indore, don’t go far, visit the ‘π-Shop’ at the campus of IIM Indore in Rau-Pithampur.
The ‘π-Shop’, also known as Planet-I Shop, is a humble initiative by senior students of IIM Indore to bring life to the campus, a beautiful and lush green 193 acre area inhabited by 800 strong student and academic community. Devoid of any general store at campus to help their mundane needs, the students of this premier institute thought of starting their own store. Considering the academic pressure and high professional ambitions, they had a tough job at hands. Many of us would seek value proposition before putting our hands in such task. But talking to some of these students gives us the feel of a closely knit student community. “Its not about community service, it’s about community building and here, we are trying to make it stronger” said one of the participants looking after the store. It’s quite conspicuous that these students find a learning opportunity in every practical work. Hence, to learn handling inventories, managing accounts and seeking customer satisfactions in real set-up is another key driving force for these students.
With incoming batch settling down in their hostel accommodations, many of them find this store their lifeline, as next nearest store is 5 km away in Rau. The store is open from 11:00pm to 1:00am, six day a week, suiting the requirements of the students. So, next time if you happen to be in IIM Indore campus, make sure you don’t miss buying a soap or a pen from an IIM student; you never know in a few years you find yourself buying a whole lot of things from his/her retail chain outlet.
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– Sachin Varshney (Class of 2012)
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