Christmas Shopping in Delhi

This past Monday night after work, I decided to do some winter shopping and add some winter clothes to my Indian wardrobe. I could’ve just gone to one of the local markets and bargained for some kurtas and salwar kameez suits similar to what I had done when I lived in Mumbai, but this time around, I wanted to actually get some clothes that would last more than just a few weeks or months. And quality has a price tag. So I called it an early Christmas present to myself and started my shopping. After finding some gorgeous, brightly colored kurta tops and salwar/dupatta sets (billowy pants & scarf set), I headed up to the register.

One of the new kurtas I got

But of course I couldn't just have an easy check-out. Apparently the sweater I wanted to buy wasn't coming up in their computer systems and they couldn't charge me correctly for it. At first they went to get another sweater of the same brand and color in attempts to ring that one up for sale, but that didn't seem to work. Then they tried manually inputting the product, but that didn't work either. So finally they rang up the rest of my purchases and then brought me to their customer service office. I sat down, twiddled my thumbs, (confession: played a little Candy Crush), and waited some more. After about 15 minutes of waiting, they brought me back to the register, where they miraculously were able to ring up the sweater. After looking at the price tag this time though, I noticed it was Rs 25 more than what it was originally (aka 20 minutes ago). I asked them about it and they showed me the price tag and what the price was. Sneaky, sneaky sales people! In the U.S., Rs 25 is a little less than 50 cents, but here in India, Rs 25 is the cost of a round trip local bus ride or even a takeaway/takeout lunch.

Maybe if it wasn't so late and I wasn't so tired, I would have argued and questioned them on the price. I've had many similar experiences over the years and usually I've approached it with frustration and stomped my feet at the manager until it showed the right price. But this time around was different. Maybe it was my shopping high or the Delhi water that changed me, but as I was riding home that night, I wasn't frustrated and wasn't even upset. Instead, I laughed to myself and just chalked it up as another experience and part of my journey in India.