Jai Shri Shyam Departmental Store

We sit here at number 93 near the 200 Fit Bypass in Vaishali Nagar most of the day. It gets quite loud with the trucks passing by all the time, but you get used to the noise after a few months. Jai Shri Shyam Departmental Store isn't a big place, just a regular shop where we keep the essentials people in the neighborhood need. Every morning starts the same way with the milk delivery arriving early. We move the crates inside, and then the bread comes. My hands are usually a bit dusty from handling the flour bags and the carton boxes that come from the wholesalers. It’s a lot of bending and reaching for things on the higher shelves. We don’t have fancy lighting or anything like that. Just some tube lights and a fan that rattles a bit when it’s on full speed. Some days are slow and I just sit on the stool looking out at the bypass traffic. Then suddenly three people will come in at once asking for different things like salt, oil, or some snacks for their kids. We try to keep things organized, but when a new shipment of lentils or sugar arrives, the floor gets crowded for a few hours until we can find a spot for everything. It’s just a normal way to earn a living here in this part of town. We’ve been at this spot for a while now and know the regulars by their voices before they even walk through the door.