Raj & Raj Mini Market

Running Raj & Raj Mini Market here in Nagpur 440008 takes a lot of energy. It’s called a mini market, but it’s still just a local shop at heart. We have a bit more space than some of the others, so we can fit in a few small refrigerators for milk and cold drinks. That means we have to keep an eye on the electricity bill, which seems to go up every year. I spend my mornings checking the expiry dates on things like bread and yogurt. It’s a boring job but someone has to do it. The shelves are made of wood and they’ve started to sag a bit under the weight of the flour bags. We have two people working most shifts because one person can’t handle the customers and the stocking at the same time. The floor gets swept three times a day but dust always finds its way back in. We don't use any fancy barcodes. We just know the prices or look at the stickers we put on. Sometimes the neighbors come in just to cool off under the fan for a minute. We don't mind. It’s part of being in a community. We try to stock a little bit of everything so people don't have to go all the way to the big supermarkets. It’s a lot of lifting and carrying, but it’s a living.