Chennai: Stepping into a shopping mall may not be a new thing for most people but for some, its an unattainable wish. To make this dream a step closer to reality, Thuli, a goodwill initiative launched a thoughtfully designed shopping experience created to help underprivileged families ‘buy’ products for free.
The idea was initially floated on social media, to which they received huge praise, says Ajith Kumar, one of the founders. He along with Shivaji Prabhakar and Jeybala tied up with NGOs to begin this initiative.
Thuli sources gently-used clothes, toys, costume jewellery, handbags, stationeries, etc.
“The clothes are then sorted on the basis of quality and size. The first and best quality sorted is dry washed and sent to the shops. The clothes having slighter damage is sent to the homes of underprivileged who don’t have the access to the store,” says Kumar.
Initially, laundry services were paid for but after word got out, Hotel Aloft and Raj Palace Hotel offered laundry services for free, says Shivaji Prabhakar.
“We have worked out a model in which will provide them with a pleasant mall shopping experience. The idea is to instil confidence by providing good quality clothes to those who cannot afford it,” says Kumar. He has started working with NGOs who will help him identify families that can shop here.
“We give gift vouchers in denominations ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 2,000 to each family. The products in the store will be tagged according to the price range. Members can budget and plan their shopping
“For Rs 2,000, a family can shop for four. The members have to physically come and shop. They are not permitted to shop for anyone else,” says Kumar.
Every day 10-15 families are called to the shop to experience the shopping. The shop has the data of different families to ensure that they give things to the deserving ones. There is high demand for kid’s dress and the shortages are met by conducting campaigns. Thuli group has also been a beneficial part of Kerala floods, contributing to the same and are also planning to support for the recent Gaja cyclone.
