ERNAKULAM: The Friends Club in the village of Malanirappu in Edakkattuvayal panchayat -- bordering Ernakulam and Kottayam districts -- has been active in sports for nearly 40 years. As the Covid outbreak sent life into a tailspin, the club members hit upon a unique idea to help people with essential items. Having started a ‘Purusha Swayam Sahaya Sangham’ (roughly translated as Men’s Self Help Group) in 2019, they converted one of the two rooms of the club building into a 24-hour shop where people from all 30 families in the neighbourhood can buy things from. The shop, however, has no salesman or cashier!
Jineesh Gopalan, one of the 13 members of the self-help group, said they purchased essential goods at wholesale rates and sold them at the same price. The idea was to ensure all families in the neighbourhood received household essentials even during the lockdown. The shop turned out to be immensely beneficial as the villagers normally depended on towns located a few kilometres away. They even managed to offer esential items at heavy discounts to Covid-hit families, Jineesh said.
“Initially, we thought of hiring a salesman. But his salary would cost a minimum of Rs 15,000 per month. So we decided to run the shop without a cashier or a salesman,” he said.
Instead, customers can pick items and drop the money in a box placed at the shop. “They have to enter the details in a book. If someone buys an item priced at Rs 50, and has only Rs 30 in hand, the person can mention in the book that there is a balance amount of Rs 20 to be paid. There could be people who forget to write the paid amount, even after dropping the money in the box,” the club member pointed out.
There have been instances when the amount received was higher compared to what was recorded as some people forget to write the amount they paid. If customers do not have change, they can mention that too in the book, which would be cleared by the subsequent week. The group had reservations about how small children would react to the concept, as they could be tempted by the toffees or biscuits, and might leave without recording the amount of the items they purchased. To the surprise of the elders, the kids followed their path.
“We were hesitant to promote this idea initially, fearing any fault could ruin this beautiful concept of transparency. However, now we are confident to tell the world that we are living with great unity and cooperation,” said Jineesh.
He said the children in the village were already connected with each other as all the kids celebrate their birthdays together. “We also make sure that birthday cakes don’t cost more than Rs 2,000 as it may send an idea of economic disparity,” he said. All of them play and celebrate together, naturally learning the basics of coexistence and oneness, Jineesh added.