3 Recent Encounters

Posted byMoushmi RadhanparaPosted inHuman Nature, Just when I don't know anything.Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

By now, you all know that I am bad with technology, and yet the irony is I opt for shopping online in almost all the cases. I know there is always a risk attached to buying things which I haven’t seen, and yet I voluntarily want to buy things online or in a supermarket, and evade any store shopping.

The reason is very simple, not only do I get to see innumerable products but also I get to avoid people.

Why do I want to avoid people at the small stores? The reason is simple again. I will relate to you my recent encounters.

1#
I ordered food from a nearest restaurant. We usually order from there, and there has been never a problem. But this time the delivery man seemed new in the area. (he seemed to me a person new to a job itself). Our building is being renovated and hence the apartment name was erased, so he couldn’t find the building. He instantly called the landline number, on which my mom was talking to someone. He might have asked the guard, and came upstairs, but he was already in a mood.

I had kept the door open seeing the restaurant bike downstairs, so that he didn’t have any more trouble finding the house. (And I was hungry too.) but as soon as he came in view he shouted, “Is it your parcel?” When I said yes, he literally started fighting with me. “Can’t you put up a name on your building? Even your house has no number. (That is why I kept the door open!) and then you have to keep your phone busy too. Why can’t you talk some time else. I had so difficulty finding your house. I had to talk to your guard to find out if this is the place.”

That is when I lost it, and the angry me retorted, “That is your problem!!” I took my package, paid him, and banged the door before he could finish his sarcastic ‘thank you’.

Honestly, our building is located at the centre, it is easily located, and even a blind man will find his way to it. And if asking a guard downstairs was so much of a trouble, you could have taken up some other job.

Correct me if I am wrong, don’t you think customer service is a part of any business. Okay, I agree there was a bit of a problem for him, and our phone was busy too. But what about keeping some amount of patience? How can you just shout at a customer which was equally polite to you at the beginning?

2#

I went to the market to find a matching blouse for my skirt, and there is only one shop nearby where I could get the ready-made ethnic blouse that I wanted. And as I went there and told him what I was looking for, he sat there staring at me, sipping his tea.

“What do you want?”

I repeated what I wanted.

And then without even looking at his stock, without so much as a glance behind him, he refused and ordered another cup of tea.

It could be that he really didn’t have the blouse, or the colour, or the material, but just the way he said it, was not at all professional.

3#

I needed to buy some groceries, nothing too much so I went to the shop just down the road from where I stay, instead of the superstore.

There was no customer inside, except for me. And the two staff were just sitting and chit chatting in there Monday gala time, the owner doing his prayer to the God’s to the bless him with… more customers, more money, and I don’t know what else could be in his wish-list.

I started telling them the things that I needed and one of them lazily dragged himself inside while the other one was constantly editing his picture on snapchat. It took him more than 15 minutes to grab a packet of oats, a bottle of jam, some bread, and a small packet of milk. After the long 15 minutes the owner did the billing, and swiped my card with the same lazy and mundane humour. Even tearing the slip off the machine took him more than 15 seconds.

I was just glad to grab the things and leave when the other customer came in asking for a bottle of Vaseline.

The supermarket would have been a better option, I thought.

*

I know that even small stores need to earn their share, they are also handy, but if this is the case, then I am happy browsing for some time, exploring more products and wait a little time for the delivery.

I am not sure why I am posting this here, but where I work if we had done any of the above things, or been even a little rude to our customers, I would have been simply thrown out. I am not saying that customers are always right, but there is a certain professional decorum that has to be followed.

Published by Moushmi Radhanpara

A bilingual writer, Moushmi Radhanpara has authored three poetry collections so far, namely POSIES and 03:21 AM –An Ode to Rust & Restlessness, and Resignation of an Angel. She is also scribbling an unplanned rough draft of a story as a part of NANOWRIMO 2020 and hopes that something might come out of it. She has also co-authored two books, The Lockdown Stories and Mirage so far. Her poetries can be found on her blog https://aestheticmiradh.com/ and a few other online portals. She believes in the fact that a better reader makes a better writer. Reading a 100 books a year is her latest obsession. She can be found either drunk on coffee or hiding away from everything and admiring the gorgeous sun.

31 thoughts on “3 Recent Encounters”

  2. I too have observed the casual attitude of the shop owners or delivery boys. It’s just that there seems to be no motivation for them to better themselves or improve sales. I am not much of an online person. But I prefer supermarkets any day.

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  4. Sorry to read about the bad and rude service you faced. But these shops and stores should realise that customers decide on their destiny.
    By the way here we don’t have personal problems. All of us here to support each other. That’s the beauty

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  8. I am a big time online shopping addict. Only problem is I don’t have money.. haha. Anyway, I buy everything from clothes, to shampoos, books, online. Once I ordered a 100 rs lip balm online and my mom was showing pity for the delivery guy. She was like ye bagal ki dukaan mai mil jata, is bechare ko itni dhoop Mai kyun bulaya?

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    1. I just visited the bank yesterday and the person sitting there told me that the form was kept there. and his ‘there’ was so vague, that I wouldn’t even doubt him if he was trying to send me some other other bank altogether. His there could have been the entrance of his bank or a completely different branch too!

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  12. It was such an interesting read!! Such detailed observation!! And I felt i was reading my diary extract!!!!! Exactly same issues and frustations….hence i only goto supermarket or online shopping….(it was funny yet ironic of you though…. technology challenge yet forced to shop online!! 😁)….i have had worst encounters….and i could feel your frustation and it’s completely justified. You should goto supermarkets only! You know, now i even goto supermarkets for simple bread and butter as well…!!
    PS: loved the gif!!

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      1. I have been struggling with some health issues lately…so not much on wp. Will read your posts soon (my syllabus for next semester! :P)
        haha…yes..lucky are those who are able to hoodwink the life’s ironies!

        Liked by 1 person

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