Women at the helm: How Zepto’s Pink Store in Chennai is redefining this workforce

Late last month, Zepto’s Co-founder and CEO Aadit Palicha officially announced the launch of Zepto’s first all-women dark store in Chennai’s Madambakkam, which is run by a team of 25 women.

“Across Zepto, 25% of picking and packing roles are filled with women, and in early morning shifts (6am to 3pm). We’ve observed that with the right support, women excel in roles traditionally dominated by men, from delivery partners to shift in-charges and operational leads," said Vikas Sharma , Chief Operating Officer (COO), Zepto.

The women at the Madambakkam store are led by D Vinitha, a year-long Zepto employee who comes with the experience of being a delivery agent, loading and unloading, and working night shifts—roles that are mostly led by men. And in every one of those roles, she has earned more than the men in her team by putting in long hours and being steadfast in supporting herself and her family.

With loans to pay and an infant girl to take care of, the 29-year-old joined Zepto’s Chitlapakkam hub in 2023, after leaving an abusive marriage. Before the quick commerce company, she worked as a real estate consultant, a job that earned her erratic payments, as it depended heavily on clients buying homes. 

“For six months, my baby and I survived eating food at the temple, because we didn’t have the means to have regular meals,” says Vinitha.

Her mother, who had retired as a nurse in the Middle East came to Chennai from their native Mayiladuthurai, to support her daughter and her newborn. 

“Having lived comfortably her whole life, she came here to live a life of poverty with us. Having her was helpful to take care of my baby, but it also meant I had three mouths to feed, and rent to pay,” says Vinitha.

She continued working through festivals to earn incentives, including a gold coin, which she was rewarded with during Pongal. She did close to 1000 orders in three weeks and by the end of four months, she became one of the highest paid workers in her workplace.

“The men in my team became quite resentful and kept trying to instigate me by shaming me for being a woman and riding around during late hours. But I had one opportunity where I could decide how much I was going to make - which is an advantage of being a gig worker—and I decided I could earn enough and more so that I never had to depend on anyone financially,” says Vinitha.

With her earnings, she paid back all her loans in less than three months and got promoted as the first woman RSI or Rider's Manager—who is responsible for the last mile operations at every delivery hub—in her workplace at Chitlapakkam.

This angered her male counterparts further, but Vinitha says she worked through her pain to stay single-minded in her goal to grow in her job. “I would get down to resolving conflicts and communicating with my staff, despite their belittling and discouragement. I always owned up my role as a leader—regardless of how my team was,” says Vinitha.

In October last year, she was promoted to join as the Dark Store Manager (DSM) at the Madambakkam hub for an all-women’s team. Zepto's Pink Store, which operates round the clock for rapid grocery deliveries, is a place where the women take charge. From overseeing daily operations to managing inventory and logistics, each team member brings their own unique strength to the table.

“I must admit that I was both relieved and slightly worried, because the job here required loading and unloading goods late at night, in addition to packing, quality checks etc,” says Vinitha. “But with time, we realised as a team that it wasn’t as hard as it was made out to be. We just had to sit together and resolve problems,” she adds.

Among other things, the team enjoys the flexibility to balance their work lives with personal commitments, something that has historically been a challenge for many women.

Rajeshwari B, a 26-year-old store shift in charge at the store says, being able to work night shifts has been a dream come true. “For me personally, this has been a boon because it gives me the flexibility of work hours,” she says. “In most other places where I have worked women only work first shifts in the morning. It was quite limiting, because not all women want to only work during the day, as it is often assumed,” she says.

Kalaivani Kalaiselvan, 23, used to work as a beautician gig worker before she joined Zepto over a year ago. She says having an all-women team for her has meant dissolving hierarchies as they support each other as women, mothers and daughters first.      

“If I need help with a task, my coworkers step in. If I’m unwell or feeling sick during my period days, my manager and coworkers understand and take up some of my work. There is empathy and shared solidarity to make this store a model for every other store to see,” she says.

Sharma says to make the all-women store accessible and sustainable, they have introduced pick-up and drop services, flexible scheduling, and dedicated support systems to address key workforce barriers. “Over 70% of our staff is women,” he says. “To cater to their needs, we have programmes to ensure they receive structured training, mentorship, and upskilling opportunities, removing educational barriers and enabling career advancement. 

“Just like Vinitha.”