Confessions of a liquor store vendor

“We make sure we don’t indulge in small talk [with our customers]. Take your booze and leave the shop—that’s our policy”

A daily nuisance we face is of drunkards urinating in gay abandon around the shop’s premises. We have to shoo them away gently, knowing that they are the ones who get the food on our table.

We are trained to handle both the cash and public efficiently during rush hours. It starts to get really crowded after sunset. But most of the customers are already drunk and incoherent by then. At times, it is even difficult to understand them. But we make sure that we don’t indulge in small talk. Take your booze and leave the shop—that’s our policy.

Surprisingly, there has never been any trouble at our liquor store. We do get rowdy and drunk people, but they come, buy their stuff and leave. The trouble happens everywhere else except at the store. They know fully well that if they create any nuisance here, they will be barred from buying the next time round.

The other day, a man came inebriated. He seemed busy on his phone, but did not realise that he was taking two steps backward for every step forward. Eventually, he took the support of the wall to move forward and leave the place, all this time twiddling with his phone.

People from all walks of life come here to buy liquor. The majority of the wealthier and female customers send their drivers and servants, who often want to make deals with us. In the past few years, we have also seen an increase in female customers.

The local businesses around our shop both love and hate us for our location. We get them business, but we also get them drunkards who are looking to urinate in every corner they get. They love the peace when our shop is shut on public holidays. The day earlier, we have a sell-out, though.

(The vendor has been working with a Delhi metropolitan government liquor shop for three years)

As told to Arindam Mukherjee

boozeliquor shopvendor