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The question - it matters

 The Question

First The Observation - At the fruit vendor. A high premium car. Hubby sitting in the drivers seat. Wife doing the purchasing. She was bargaining furiously. I had just reached and stood around. Now I do know this particular fruit seller has a mark up over other retailers ( he pleads quality) but her version was an aggressive "I pay so much, I know how much to bargain". In between she looked at me, trying to place me - this shorts and T Shirt guy with a walking stick, then looked away. I was watching the whole process, decided this could be interesting. She, with diamonds flashing on her manicured fingers, dived into the cherry boxes. She opened one packed box from the side very cleverly and ate first one cherry, after rubbing it on her jeans, I suppose to clean it. Then ate three more. Then she purchased another unopened box of cherries. Next she looked at the apricots. Opened one box gently, rubbed it, gave to the hubby and had one herself. Then when the hubby nodded, purchased a different new box. And when it was the plums, she went ahead and consumed three of them while picking another box. Thankfully only one peach was consumed. The total bill for all the fruits was Rs 1900/-, she was using her mobile as a calculator, bargaining, Ultimately she walked away paying Rs 1725/- or Rs 1750/-. As they drove off, the vendor looked at me and said Majboori. (No option). The last dose of bargaining could maybe in order, over the milder bargaining already done, but why take out fruits from boxes. What gives us the right to do so ourselves. I have noticed this earlier too though not so much as this.
Question - Would the same customer attempt this at a formal store. Even think of it. That is the thought and question.
DKK
PS I’m a big fan of taxi driver wisdom. Something similar happened when we stopped on the GT road en-route to Delhi. At a vendor. Once the lady in the BMW had bargained and then short paid the fruit seller, his face told the story, our taxi driver quipped “ now she will stop at Haldiram, stand in a line to pay for her food without complaining”
How come we do not ourselves test a sample or bargain with the chaat guy, the aloo-tikki guy, the chana-samosa guy, many of whom are informal or semi formal. Think about it.

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