Today, I shopped at what I would say is our city's equivalent of a "Mom and Pop" store.
Flashback to 14 years ago, almost to the day, when we entered a newly constructed home, in what was then the outskirts of our city. It is customary to spend three nights in the new house. We settled down to spend the first of three nights in the new house. There wasn't any furniture in the house and the construction was not completed yet. So, there were quite a few things we missed in that time, whether it was a comfortable bed or tasty food. Still, whatever we lacked during those three days, it certainly wasn't mosquitoes !
After a terrible first night, we decided to scout around for mosquito repellants the next morning. In our search for shops, we found a small shop with the shopkeeper and a lady, presumably his wife, talking amiably to their customers. We found the mosquito repellants in another shop, but we returned to the new shop some days later, shopping for loaves of bread.
The shopkeeper saw and enquired if we were new. He and his wife attended to customers who they seemed to know on intimate terms. There was a smile of introduction and a polite inquiry about the family, as known customers came in. Super efficiency was not a hallmark in this store. However, it was not really required. The warmth of the smiles and the harmless gossip and conversation more than compensated for any delay in service. To young children, the man and his wife threw in a bonus sweet in addition to the sweets actually purchased by the children. The delight of the children was a pleasure to see, and the shopkeeper and his wife also joined in enjoying their delight.
Over time, we learnt that the couple had also been in the same city that we lived in before we shifted here. It only made us feel closer to the Mom and Pop store. The bond we felt with them grew stronger. The store has a name, but we simply referred to it using the name of the city that linked us and them.
As time passed, our area also changed. There were bigger shops, more houses, more traffic and naturally, more people. The store held its own against the competition and the first customers who came to the Mom and Pop store continued to shop there.
Now, a couple of years ago, a retail supermarket opened on a main road close to our home. The supermarket offers good deals and bright neon-light appeal. We also fell under its spell when it opened and marvelled at the size of the supermarket, the courteous staff and the automated scanning and billing. I also buy at the supermarket if I have to shop for many items.
Today, when I returned to the Mom and Pop store, there were a couple of customers only. The shopkeeper still had his smile ready and asked about people at home. I was taken aback that he knew and recalled about us. I realised that old ties run deep. He asked how I was and I, in turn, asked him about how the business was doing.
He spoke of sales of loaves of bread being reduced by a third and of hard times. We also discussed the changes in our area and he said that he has seen the area change around him. I guess I can say the same. There was no regret, no longing for days long ago, just a matter of fact statement about the changes. I suppose, in another time, there would be a harkening back to the days of old, but today, we only talked matter-of-factly about the changes. He said that a new shoe store has opened near the supermarket.
Then, a couple came to the shop with a young infant. The shopkeeper smiled and asked how junior was. The proud father told him the name of the child. I feel that the shopkeeper will remember junior's name the next time the couple shops there ! If he doesn't, he will still remember to give junior an extra sweet when junior gets to that age when he longs to eat tasty sweets !
I came back recalling all the times that we had shopped at the Mom and Pop store and the gradual reduction in our trade in that shop. Purely commercial relationships are usually impersonal. The glitzy malls and supermarkets offer efficiency and professional service. In this day and age, that is a "must have" with time being in short supply. While what we gain by these two attributes is important, isn't the loss of the warmth that we see in a Mom-and-pop store something to be rued ?
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NOTE:
I had originally written this blog in another site. Since that site is no longer accessible, I am uploading it in this blog at http://fewidlethoughts.blogspot.in/ using the same date as the original blog dates.
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===== COMMON TEXT FOR ALL BLOGS =====
++++++ BEGINS ++++++
When I created my first blog, I thought I was
being clever by being "anonymous" and let my
opinions speak for themselves (see the archive !)
Imagine my embarrassment when I saw my name
displayed ! So now, while I still retain the blog
name as "Anonymous Expressions", I will only
request you to ignore my name and concentrate on
my opinions instead !
All copyrights and trademarks are acknowledged as
the properties of their owners.
The opinions expressed in the Weblogs are my
personal opinions. Please tell me if you spot any
factual mistakes or don't like the way I have
expressed a view. If I can see your point, I will
correct the mistake. You can email me at
kiran.suma@gmail.com.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Flashback to 14 years ago, almost to the day, when we entered a newly constructed home, in what was then the outskirts of our city. It is customary to spend three nights in the new house. We settled down to spend the first of three nights in the new house. There wasn't any furniture in the house and the construction was not completed yet. So, there were quite a few things we missed in that time, whether it was a comfortable bed or tasty food. Still, whatever we lacked during those three days, it certainly wasn't mosquitoes !
After a terrible first night, we decided to scout around for mosquito repellants the next morning. In our search for shops, we found a small shop with the shopkeeper and a lady, presumably his wife, talking amiably to their customers. We found the mosquito repellants in another shop, but we returned to the new shop some days later, shopping for loaves of bread.
The shopkeeper saw and enquired if we were new. He and his wife attended to customers who they seemed to know on intimate terms. There was a smile of introduction and a polite inquiry about the family, as known customers came in. Super efficiency was not a hallmark in this store. However, it was not really required. The warmth of the smiles and the harmless gossip and conversation more than compensated for any delay in service. To young children, the man and his wife threw in a bonus sweet in addition to the sweets actually purchased by the children. The delight of the children was a pleasure to see, and the shopkeeper and his wife also joined in enjoying their delight.
Over time, we learnt that the couple had also been in the same city that we lived in before we shifted here. It only made us feel closer to the Mom and Pop store. The bond we felt with them grew stronger. The store has a name, but we simply referred to it using the name of the city that linked us and them.
As time passed, our area also changed. There were bigger shops, more houses, more traffic and naturally, more people. The store held its own against the competition and the first customers who came to the Mom and Pop store continued to shop there.
Now, a couple of years ago, a retail supermarket opened on a main road close to our home. The supermarket offers good deals and bright neon-light appeal. We also fell under its spell when it opened and marvelled at the size of the supermarket, the courteous staff and the automated scanning and billing. I also buy at the supermarket if I have to shop for many items.
Today, when I returned to the Mom and Pop store, there were a couple of customers only. The shopkeeper still had his smile ready and asked about people at home. I was taken aback that he knew and recalled about us. I realised that old ties run deep. He asked how I was and I, in turn, asked him about how the business was doing.
He spoke of sales of loaves of bread being reduced by a third and of hard times. We also discussed the changes in our area and he said that he has seen the area change around him. I guess I can say the same. There was no regret, no longing for days long ago, just a matter of fact statement about the changes. I suppose, in another time, there would be a harkening back to the days of old, but today, we only talked matter-of-factly about the changes. He said that a new shoe store has opened near the supermarket.
Then, a couple came to the shop with a young infant. The shopkeeper smiled and asked how junior was. The proud father told him the name of the child. I feel that the shopkeeper will remember junior's name the next time the couple shops there ! If he doesn't, he will still remember to give junior an extra sweet when junior gets to that age when he longs to eat tasty sweets !
I came back recalling all the times that we had shopped at the Mom and Pop store and the gradual reduction in our trade in that shop. Purely commercial relationships are usually impersonal. The glitzy malls and supermarkets offer efficiency and professional service. In this day and age, that is a "must have" with time being in short supply. While what we gain by these two attributes is important, isn't the loss of the warmth that we see in a Mom-and-pop store something to be rued ?
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
NOTE:
I had originally written this blog in another site. Since that site is no longer accessible, I am uploading it in this blog at http://fewidlethoughts.blogspot.in/ using the same date as the original blog dates.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
===== COMMON TEXT FOR ALL BLOGS =====
++++++ BEGINS ++++++
When I created my first blog, I thought I was
being clever by being "anonymous" and let my
opinions speak for themselves (see the archive !)
Imagine my embarrassment when I saw my name
displayed ! So now, while I still retain the blog
name as "Anonymous Expressions", I will only
request you to ignore my name and concentrate on
my opinions instead !
All copyrights and trademarks are acknowledged as
the properties of their owners.
The opinions expressed in the Weblogs are my
personal opinions. Please tell me if you spot any
factual mistakes or don't like the way I have
expressed a view. If I can see your point, I will
correct the mistake. You can email me at
kiran.suma@gmail.com.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
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