Life in a non-Metro: Ch. 2 Time isn't money

This post is part of a series.
You can read the introduction, and chapter 1 here.

Chapter 2: Time Isn't MoneyMost consumers you come across in a metro will go to lengths to explain how fast their life is, and how little time they have. That would be true for non-metro consumers too... but only the explaining part.

Given that everyone is brought up with the adage of 'Aaram haram hai', people everywhere want to show that they are busy, but it takes only a little investigation to understand how relaxed life in a non-metro is.

Let's also understand why this is.
They save time on commute: In a non-metro town, people's residences are fairly closer to their workplaces. Moreover, the traffic jams aren't as bad or as frequent.

Their working hours are much shorter: Be it an industrialist, businessman, or employee, the non-metro person's scope of work is pretty much restricted to his own time zone, and perhaps to the head office that's located in Delhi or Mumbai. So it's fairly easy to complete a day's work within 8-10 hours (maybe even lesser, depending on your industry) and go home to eat dinner with family. (Yes, sigh!)

While they follow a 6-day week, Saturdays are either half-days, or pretty relaxed when otherwise.

So what would these people do with so much time at hand?

1. They socialise
Most people will be part of social groups, connecting to their communities, social and professional circles at coffee shops, restaurants, gyms, and clubs. They participate in their society's / housing colony's management, organise events and get-togethers. They attend many such events too. As a result, businesses don't mind having exhibitions and workshops on weekdays; they are able to attract a decent audience.

2. They compare before buying
Imagine having just one hour extra every evening. Would you still buying all your groceries, toys, and electronics from the single neighbourhood mega-store? People in the non-metros do the same. They visit multiple stores, multiple times, and make multiple calls to compare, negotiate, and get the best price.

3. They watch a lot of TV
The TV stays on for most part of the day. The lady watches many more soaps, even splitting them between afternoons and evenings if they overlap; the man watches news and sports and movies, and the kids would watch the cartoons.

Other implications:
1. When it comes to purchases, they are willing to wait to get a better deal.

2. As deliverers of service, they aren't punctual. They won't bother to be there at 3pm for a 3pm appointment. Most deliveries for most categories of goods are expected to be late, and are late too.

3. Perhaps as a consequence of this culture, as customers, they know that deliverers will over-commit and under-deliver. Hence, they create non-existing urgencies all the time to ensure that work gets done (and preferably, in time).
Interesting, isn't it? More about the non-metros in the coming posts.

Any unique observations, or anecdotes about the non-metros?
Do share in the comments.