Shriram General Stores

Working at Shriram General Stores in the Bakre Building means seeing a lot of traffic. Since we are near the Shivaji Statue on the Pune Nagar Road in Kothrud, there is always someone passing by. The shop is a bit old-fashioned, but it works for us. I start the day by sweeping the front and getting the news of the neighborhood from the milk delivery guy. We carry all the general items you would expect. Piles of notebooks, pens, different kinds of cleaning stuff, and some dry snacks too. It’s a bit cramped inside because we try to fit a lot on the wooden shelves. Sometimes the trucks on the main road make it hard to hear what a customer is asking for, but we’ve gotten used to it over the years. I don’t use any fancy computers, just a pen and some paper for most things. People stop in because they’re walking to the bus stop or just live in the apartments nearby. It’s a lot of the same people every day. I remember when the building was newer, but now it has that comfortable, lived-in feel. We don't have any big sales or gimmicks. If someone needs a lightbulb or some salt, they know they can find it here. The shelves are creaky and a bit dusty in the corners. It’s just a plain shop where we work hard and keep things moving. There isn’t much more to it than that.