Think Before You Pay

Few days back I wanted to drink Coke. Here outside my office, there are many "tapris" (a roadside shop) on the footpath. In the absence of a good alternative like a cafeteria, etc people from nearby companies rely on these places for their snacks, tea, etc. Whether these shops are under patronage of PMC or not is hard to say as I have not inquired about it.

So, let’s come back. Few days back I wanted to drink coke. One of my friends also accompanied me and we went to one of these tapris. I asked for 500ml bottle of coke which the shopkeeper gave me. I saw the price and the M.R.P was Rs.23. I gave him a Rs. 50 note. He returned me Rs.25 waiting for Rs.2 more. Though I am not adamant on Rs.2 but for a while I was thinking about my spending habits and its influence on the society, specially people who cannot have the luxury of sparing even Rs.2. With this in mind, I asked for Rs.2 back. And what followed turned to be unbelievable in few minutes. I asked the reason for charging Rs.2 extra. The lady replied that because we keep refrigerator to keep it cool. I tried to convince her that the bottle comes with a MRP of Rs. 23 and it is illegal to charge Rs.25. No sooner had I said so when she started abusing me, "lena hai to lo, warna bahut aate hain tumhare jaise!!" I gave the bottle of Coke back and took my money and returned. It was horrible. People over there started staring at me as I have done something wrong. Why the hell shall I pay Rs.2 extra came to my mind. I forgot about society. The thing that came to my mind was that it is my hard earned money and it is ridiculous to give it to someone who doesn't realizes your importance or in general the importance of the customer.

I want to ask you that whether you pay more than MRP? Whether you pay more than what comes in your meter while traveling by an auto or a taxi? If yes, then please re-think about the society in general. Aren't we directly aiding the inflation? I am not going to present here a dose of social responsibility and the effect of this act on society. We all know it. Better to start thinking and implementing it. I have decided that I am not going to pay more than MRP whether I get abused or whatsoever.

Also, want to know if there is any way I can complain about this to authorities?