Street titbits

I had not been exposed to bargaining during childhood because my parents bought vegetables and fruits from a Delhi market where prices were quite competitive. When we moved to a private colony, I got a feel of true bargaining. Opposite our house was an old man with three sons. Each son was married and had two children. The onus of buying fruits and vegetables for the three families fell on the elderly man. His skills at bargaining left me flabbergasted. When he bought vegetables, he haggled incessantly. Once he had fixed the price, he increased the weight of vegetable or fruit to be bought and tried again to drive a hard bargain. So if he wanted to buy melon, he would argue with the green grocer and bring the price down to half the amount first quoted. After the grocer had agreed to sell the melons for Rs 10 per kg he would select melons whose weight would turn out to be 2.5 kg instead of 2 kg. When the grocer demanded Rs 25, the old man would palm off money for two only.

When it came to vegetables he would buy one vegetable and ask for lots of coriander leaves and a good amount of green chillies. If he bought green leafy vegetables like fenugreek leaves and sarson ka saag, he would want the vegetable to be cut for free. Things came to such a pass that green grocers started avoiding him. They ignored his loud calls retorting, 8220;Baba, we too have to feed our children back home.8221; Nevertheless, new vegetable sellers kept falling into his trap like flies caught in a spider8217;s web.

Once, he sent his servant to fetch a rickshaw. The servant settled the charges with the rickshaw puller at Rs 5. On hearing the charges, the old man started shouting and insisted on paying Rs 3. The rickshaw puller left disgusted and disgruntled. I was stumped.

Another unusual character is a lady who invariably comes out rushing on listening to the vegetable seller8217;s call and asks the price of various fruits and vegetables and then goes back. Her strategy also seems sound because she comes to know the current prices of vegetables and fruits and then compares them with Mother Dairy prices from where she buys vegetables and fruit.

Over the years each neighbour has earned a reputation of his own. My mother has also started using these encounters to her own advantage. She buys only when one of the neighbours has decided the rate with the vendor. After all, some things do rub off.