Matoshri Super Market

Down in Chakan, the shop is always a bit of a mess but we know where everything is. Chakan is growing fast and there are always new people coming in. We keep the store open late because that’s when the workers come back. The shelves are made of wood and they groan a bit under the weight of the oil tins. We have a small prayer corner in the back with a little lamp. It stays lit all day. The front of the shop is mostly open to the street. We get a lot of flies in the summer, so we have one of those electric zappers. It makes a loud pop every now and then. We sell a lot of onions and potatoes by the kilo. We keep them in plastic crates near the entrance. Sometimes the scale needs to be balanced. It’s an old one with metal weights. We don't really use the digital kind. The floor is swept twice a day but the Chakan dust always finds its way back. We don't have many employees, just family mostly. We take turns sitting at the cash box. It’s a heavy metal box with a padlock. We’ve had it for years. Life here is just about keeping the shop running and making sure the inventory is enough for the week. We close up when the street lights go dim and the traffic finally slows down.