An old dilapidated shop with wooden racks… the wood scaling from all corners… and a characteristic smell…I am talking about the shop where mommy used to send us to procure the daily household requirements, not a very old concept; it is still prevalent widely across the country.

There used to be a local general store where almost all the household products were available; from rice and wheat to spices to a small match box and even some medicines. There were racks for all the products but for no use. The goods were all stacked up, one over the other. The customers didn’t have privilege to see what was available.

Every person visiting the shop, from a kid to an old man used to call the owner … ‘chachaji. With this so called chachaji there used to be a helper in the shop called ‘chotu’ or ‘Ramu’… Chachaji used to sit at the counter on an old drum and instructed chotu to pull out the demanded goods, to remove the dust from them with a cloth that was never clean, to weigh them and finally pack it for the customer. Instead of a computerized bill he gave a hand written ‘parchi’ (chit) to his customer. Only the rates were legible on his bill.

As a routine chachaji used to join hands and put the incense stick before a small idol of Laxmiji or Hanumanji. Did you ever notice him doing so….? He would keep enchanting the name of his Lord and in between suddenly he used to abuse and scold chotu… then again start enchanting…..next moment, he was reminded of some customer who had not cleared his bill, he would say a few words in his honour and continue with the prayer, cutting it short he would stand before you and say, “aap ko kya chahiye ji”? Name a product and chachaji would know where it was kept and the exact MRP… Discount was a strict ‘NO’… ‘NO’… in his shop.

Sitting on his throne, he would point his finger towards the thing and expected Chotu to pull it out without messing up the rest of the things around. In the meanwhile, Chachaji would start taking care of another customer. If there was some brand that was not available in his shop he would immediately say that the particular thing is not being manufactured presently and the one he had was ‘the best’ available in the market.

The change in the retail concept with the mushroom growth of retail chains like spencers, big bazzar, etc has made the purchase of these household goods very easy and smart. People visit malls, pick up the products of their choice, they are able to compare brands, avail discounts, special offers and even get gifts for their purchases and finally make the purchase of household goods an interesting affair. Even the sons of the so called Chachajis are revamping their retail shops to remain in the business but Chachaji would still remain in our mind for ever.