Two weeks ago, I was in Panchkula celebrating my vacations. I was coming back from a long evening walk with Papa when I happened to cross this "Fresh" store. The scene was something like this: There is this wonderful, colorful, garish, lucrative Reliance Fresh store and in its front, there are these cart-vendors standing on the road with their shimmering lamps, looking at each passer-by with questioning eyes - "What do you want sir/madam?". I was telling Papa that these Reliance people are slowly intruding into each and every segment of the industry and their services are really good and I guess the days of these ubiquitous cart-vendors are almost over. As I had never entered a Reliance Fresh store earlier, I forced him to come along inside the store. As we were about to enter, this strong guy with big moustache leaned forward - saluted and opened the door for us. "Hmmm... good, nice gesture", said Papa. Entering the store with AC on, serene music, flashing vegetables, I was feeling Papa is surely going to be impressed with all this. And I was right, he was happy and surprised at the same time to see everything so clean and fresh that too at the same rate as the cart-vendors outside or may be a little cheaper.
We bought a nice looking musk-melon (Rs. 40/kg). Took it home and put it in fridge. The very next day, when I cut it to serve it to others - "Here comes the Reliance stamped melon". I found a big dark patch inside, of course with its owner - the worm (with family). Almost half of the fruit had to be thrown and needless to say, whatever we ate was not sweet at all. Another comment from Papa, "I think whoever goes inside the store, comes out buying something, otherwise that guard won't salute and open the door for you :) People buy to get that salute/respect which they consider as a status symbol". OK, I thought, "but Reliance people can't get into the fruit to see what's inside", so that doesn't qualify as an accusation.

The same evening, mummy asked me to get some tomatoes. Ok, now is the time to prove how wonderful Reliance products are. The same scene, the same store and the same me of course with same feelings. I straight marched to the tomatoes. I saw the tags - two kinds of tomatoes - "Simple tomato (Rs. 16/kg)" and "Premium tomato (Rs. 19/kg)". Which one should I go for? Anyone! how the hell they'll identify at the cash counter (which kind is it). So, I headed for Premium brand. And as I picked the first tomato, aha! the fluid came from below, this was my reaction: Isshhh! put it aside. How do I pick the nice ones from this crowd of putrid tomatoes? They were stale, they were rotten, they were leaking, they were even stinking and what not. I could hardly find some "OK" tomatoes out of 2 really big baskets of tomatoes and actually I (had to) mixed the two brands (Premium + Plain). The cash counter could never know, which quality it is... how could he ever know :) - they were both (I got @ Rs. 16/kg). And while I was coming out of the store, the security guard smiled, bowed as expected (after all I visted them the 2nd running day). I could recall "दूर के ढोल सुहावने" while exiting.
And as rightly pointed out by Abhishek, in one of his blogs regarding "his experience" with Reliance Fresh, they don't have a proper website of their own. I could find just a single page on Reliance Fresh where the forum link talks about the jobs in Reliance Retail.

Now, the point is, if a giant like Reliance can't maintain the quality of its items, won't the common man turn its back towards the stores and switch back to the push cart vendors. Agreed, that they don't look so clean, but at least these guys work very hard to keep "their" fruits and vegetables fresh by constantly spraying water on it.

If Mukesh Ambani & Co. doesn't do something quickly on this, I am afraid, the freshness of Reliance Fresh is in deep trouble. By the way, I was amazed to see a Relaince Fresh outlet in Rohtak, but again I know for sure that Rohtak people are going to put these guys on toes if they are not going to improve the actual quality of their garish items.