Day 1 of the lockdown🗓…

There are two shops in our vicinity for grocery shopping. One was closed. As we approached the second one there were a large number of cars parked near it, but the shop’s shutters were down and a group of people were standing outside with carry bags. People were waiting for the shop to open? We decided to join.

Apparently, the main entrance to the shop was closed. The people were crowding around a smaller side entrance. The shop was open, but they were letting only a few customers in at a time to prevent over crowding inside. It was a good decision. However, there were verbal protests from some of the people on being made to wait outside, but majority were calm.

While waiting, the shop staff handed out masks and bottles of water. Finally, it was our chance to enter. The calm outside morphed into a scene of hysteria inside the store. People were panic buying or maybe it was just normal buying but done in a hurry as there was a staff speaking into a loudspeaker, requesting the customers to hurry as there were more people waiting outside. Plus from the look of it, majority of the shoppers did not know where the stuff was kept. People in Bangalore are so used to home deliveries and they are probably visiting a shop after a long time; the staff once again came to the rescue.

And as shopping carts were being loaded there was a lady who came in saying that she bought too much vegetables yesterday and didn’t have enough space in her fridge to store them all🥬🍅 !! She was hoping the shop will take it back😬. They did.

The shelves were running empty, the staff were trying to replenish some items. There was chaos and panic. But thankful that there was stuff on the shelves.

☁🌥🌤

Day 6 of the lockdown🗓…

We need to buy water again. Maybe we should consider installing a water purifier in our flat like the many others in Bangalore. It is less stressful. Each time a can of water finishes, there is the gnawing tension to get a new one asap. What if the shop runs out of filled water cans?

Today, the first shop was open…hurray !! and a truck was unloading the filled cans of water. There was a queue to enter the shop. But unlike the last time, people were calmly standing in the queue each person maintaining a 3ft distance from the next. We got water first and then stood in the queue.

And that’s when a man came up to the shop front and asked if they sold water purifiers? Yes said the staff, but they were locked away on the first floor of the shop. Only the grocery section on the ground floor was open. The man was aghast. He said their water purifier broke down and he needed a new one urgently. Can they not open the first floor? This was an emergency, said the man. Sadly no, came the answer.

And here we were thinking of getting a water purifier to reduce our tension and this man’s problems just got compounded because of one.

Even though people were maintaining a 3ft distance outside the shop in the queue, once inside, they came in close contact esp. when passing the narrow aisles. But people were more calm compared to Day 1. The shelves were stocked, maybe not the brand you are used to, but substitutes were available.

Again shopping with a list is the most sane thing to do. Else you will end up panic buying.

15 more days to go.

Till next post, take care !!