“Sometimes you learn the most profound lessons from the least expected places.”
My usual routine after the kids get on to their school bus is to go for a walk, which importantly includes a trip to the fruit seller. Each time I go, which is nearly every day, I learn something new about how to delight your customer…the fruit-seller way (but applicable in nearly any other environment). Here are the things I’ve observed and learnt from.
1. Feel for your customer and it will come back to you one day. One day it was raining heavily, and it was that unusual, winter rain that can catch you unawares and really chill you. There was this lady and her daughter getting soaked in the rain and trying to take shelter under the fruit seller’s big umbrella that was shading his regular fruits. This guy immediately took off a smaller umbrella that was shading his other fruits (strawberries etc.) and handed it to them – “yeh le jao”, not once thinking of his own fruits. The lady and her daughter in turn said, no no bhaiya, we will go, we don’t want your fruits to get spoilt.
Just a little goodness put into the universe, but it will surely come back to him, or at least add to his goodwill bank. I don’t know if it did that day, but I’m pretty sure he built some more loyal customers.
2. Trust is a bigger thing than money. There was this once I didn’t have enough to pay for my bill. He immediately said, “kal de dena” (give it tomorrow). The next day he didn’t even remember, I reminded him, don’t you want your money back? He said I forgot, so many people come every day.
But I see that this trust does not make him lose money, it just gets him more and loyal, sincere customers. As he’s not relentlessly pursuing money, it comes back to him naturally.
3. Have all the regular ingredients of a good seller, and more. He keeps quality fruits, his prices are the lowest around, he’s lightning quick with his calculations (“hisaab”), and he always has a smile. If your fruit is ever rotten, he will replace it for you the next time, no questions asked. In fact, you don’t need to ask at all. You will always get more, not less.
4. Be respectful to all, whether the elderly, children, or others in the middle. For the elderly, he happily keeps their bags with him while they go for a walk or shopping elsewhere. Or helps load them onto their cars. I once saw an elderly lady who was afraid her car had got locked. I saw genuine concern and willingness to help on the fruit seller’s face. Thankfully, the car was not locked in fact. But he was there to help.
Once, my dad was with me for my fruit shopping and told the fruit wallah – “this is my daughter, please take care of her whenever she comes”. To which he didn’t say a superficial “yes, yes”, but instead replied thoughtfully, “uncle, I take care of everyone, regardless of who they are – even if a child comes to me and doesn’t have the money, I take care of them too”.
My dad said, this is the essence of a good seller and more importantly, a good person.
I often tell him, bhaiya stop keeping plastic bags. He says didi, people just don’t listen, what do I do?
If he really does that, I think he will become a true “model” fruit seller in my mind. But even if he doesn’t (and for that he needs cooperation from us too, no?), he’s doing a great job.
I think we should all stop a moment and take a lesson from (also thank and salute) such workers, so tirelessly striving to make an honest living in a world that is not always good to them.
Psst….if you want to meet him, he has a small wagon just outside deer park on the Safdarjung enclave side in New Delhi. Do stop by if you are ever that side!
This blog was first published on momspresso.com.
