Extending ‘shelf’ help
BENGALURU: Moidu VA has spent close to a decade managing Magic Supermarket in CV Raman Nagar along with his cousins, but for the very first time, his daily routine has witnessed a change. “We open the store by 9 am and make sure we shut it down by 3 pm. We also ensure that customers follow rules by maintaining social distance and wearing masks. It’s for everyone’s safety,” he says, adding that customers who don’t follow these practices rules are barred entry into the shop.
Challenges are aplenty for Moidu and his cousins, from ensuring a steady supply of stock to looking after his staff. Acquiring stocks from vendors has become a daily ordeal in the current times and involves a lot of convincing, he says. “It is really difficult, sometimes it’s hard to adjust even for the vendors. Some customers don’t pay heed to our advice. We ask them to wear masks for their safety but some of them run low on patience and tell us that things like, ‘We don’t have the virus, so why should we wear the mask?’,” he explains.
Moidu also realises that the responsibility of ensuring the safety of his staff lies on him. “Sometimes the stock arrives late in the night and all of us have to be alert to collect it,” he says, adding, “My staff has been really supportive. Most of them hail from other states, but they stayed back to help us. We have to take care of their well-being, and stay with them as they carry out their duties irrespective of the time or the situation.”
Ask Moidu about the fears that strike him as he continues to work during the lockdown, and he stresses upon the need to carry out the job. “A bit of fear is something which all of us carry, may it be the store owners, customers or even people confined to their homes. My wife and my little daughter reside in Kerala, and I do have worries of my own. But then, we take measures such as restricted operating hours and hygiene norms,” he says. “Work takes the worry off my head. It’s an essential service, after all.”