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Spoilt for choice or paralysed by indecision

Last 20 years or so in Indian economy have been phenomenal not only in terms of economic growth but also

- removal of licence raj in general
- becoming adequate/surplus from a scarce economy (imports not withstanding)
- rise of brands, and
- rise of organised retail

Above all have transformed the consumer life and also the decision making. The choices have widened beyond comprehension and still not reached a saturation point.

My experiences over the last week(in Delhi) showed how spoilt we are with the choices available in various product categories.

Tea - earlier it was 3 products (leaf - 3/4 brands, dust - 1 brand and Darjeeling - 1 brand). Now 13 products (leaf, dust, darjeeling, green, flavoured, tea bags, instant, instant flavoured, iced, packaged, packaged flavoured, infused) and each with at least 6 brands and 2pack sizes.

Coffee - earlier 2 products (instant - 2 brands and filter - 1 brand). Now 10 products (instant, decaff, arabica, robusta, columbian, powder, granules, instant mix, cold, RTD) with a minimum of 3 brands for each

Aerated beverage - earlier 4 (cola - 2 brands, orange - 2 brands, lemonade - 2 brands and soda). Now 12 products (cola, orange, apple, lemonade clear, lemonade cloudy, real lemon, tonic, flavoured still, flavoured fizzy, fresh fruit and most in a diet version as well) and each with a minimum of 3 brands

If I restrict to only above 3 categories, decision making for me has moved from selecting 3 products out of 16 choices to now 3 products out of 194 choices (in the store I visited).

The sheer time taken has moved from a matter of 3 minutes to over 20 minutes now. Not to talk of other daily use products where the choices have become even more wide.

My estimate is that in a month I make a choice of 40 odd products out of a possible 10,000 choices.

So how do I cope up with this ; just buy the last brand if that was NOT DISSATISFYING or rely on a reliable company (not manufacturer) or recommendation made by someone.

Am I taking an informed decision - NO.

Am I being a good consumer - NO

I am paralysed to take a decision, more so when I go to a restaurant. Dosa is available in 15 combinations, Idli in 5, paratha in 12, and so on.

Oh God! either give me 48 hrs a day or LESS CHOICE.

and I am happy with Google.
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