WHEN our family shifted to Lahore in the late ’60s, Azam’s grocery shop was at a walking distance from our rented house in Block B of Model Town.
Azam and his brother, Iqbal, managed the shop. They would transact business sitting on a raised floor on the right side of the shop, directing their helper to bring the required item. It looked like a shop in a village or a small town, and was run the same way. The merchandise was stuffed in a haphazard manner and sometimes only the brothers would know where a particular item had been placed.
Although there were such shops or general stores in each and every market of Old Model Town’s eight blocks (A to H), Azam di dukan, as the residents would call it in Punjabi, was known throughout Model Town. The popularity was on account of the fact that every conceivable item of domestic use such as food, housekeeping products, toiletries, etc, was available at the shop. Residents did not have to go downtown to buy them.
Being aware of this fact, the brothers had some element of arrogance in their dealing with the customers. The basic principles of good salesmanship were missing in them. For instance, when the customer would ask for an item, it appeared as if they had not heard him. When the customer would repeat his requirement after a few moments, they would look at him without saying anything. The third time, they would nod their head, which was a sign of confirmation that they possessed the item. Knowing their style, the buyer would never leave the shop frustrated. There was no reduction in the number of their regular customers. Even otherwise, there was no choice if you wanted to buy an item which was rarely kept by other shopkeepers.
Azam’s shop is the oldest one in Model Town as they opened it at the exact same place way back in 1947, when their father, a draughtsman in the Railways, migrated from Ludhyana in East Punjab. Model Town, at that time, was truly a town located far away from Lahore City and mostly inhabited by people who had migrated from India during Partition. They were people of moderate means and had not developed a lavish lifestyle. This type of culture suited Azam and Iqbal.
Such shopkeepers are common, specially in old localities. They tend to develop a personal rapport with their customers, who reciprocate by continuing to make purchases from them out of courtesy. Shopping trends have changed tremendously over the last few decades.
Now, people belonging to the upper class buy the whole month’s grocery in one visit to superstores, where they can pick any item of their choice from the shelf without waiting for the shopkeeper’s nod. In Lahore, many multi-storied superstores have come up during the last few years. But at the same time, some people still enjoy buying from shops in their vicinity.
Consequently, shopkeepers like Azam are encouraged to continue selling in the traditional mode, refusing to bring any change in their outlook.
WHEN our family shifted to Lahore in the late ’60s, Azam’s grocery shop was at a walking distance from our rented house in Block B of Model Town.
