In an unauthorized paradigm shift that I've noticed, all sorts of small stores are now calling themselves "Super markets". Technically they're not that wrong, they do sell quite a variety of items, almost no one is willing to concede that they are a small grocery store. And then the bigger stores have to use names like "mega stores" or even "Giga stores" ("Tera stores" can't be far off - "Presenting for the first time ever, India's first Tera Store")
During my first week here, I was looking for an electical/electronic store to buy a socket converter. I figured I should ask a local merchant to guide me to an electrical store and I walked into what looking like a "Sweets Store". I asked him where the nearest store was. The guy asked me, "What exactly do you want to get?" I told him. He nodded his head knowingly and shouted out something to his assistant. In a few seconds a white socket converter materialized in his hands, complete with fuse and everything! Then as I looking around the store I realized this sweet store (no pun intended) was selling everything - pen drives, CDs, mp3 players. Amazing.
Another new development is the almost universal sign saying "Shoppe". Now for those that aren't familiar, "Shoppe" is pronounced just like "Shop", it's just an archaic way of writing it, like "Ye old shoppe". Alternately, it's a "cool" way of saying "Shop", you know, being retro on purpose etc. I get it. But what is ending up happening is that people are using this word indiscriminately, without understanding it. As far as they're concerned, their competition is calling itself "Shoppe", and they should too. In a sad twist to this tale, the not-so-educated shopkeepers read this word as "Shoppy"!! And in the local languages, the signs read "shoppy" and on radio, the ads say "shoppy". I am really worried that in a few months I am going to start saying "shoppy"!
During my first week here, I was looking for an electical/electronic store to buy a socket converter. I figured I should ask a local merchant to guide me to an electrical store and I walked into what looking like a "Sweets Store". I asked him where the nearest store was. The guy asked me, "What exactly do you want to get?" I told him. He nodded his head knowingly and shouted out something to his assistant. In a few seconds a white socket converter materialized in his hands, complete with fuse and everything! Then as I looking around the store I realized this sweet store (no pun intended) was selling everything - pen drives, CDs, mp3 players. Amazing.
Another new development is the almost universal sign saying "Shoppe". Now for those that aren't familiar, "Shoppe" is pronounced just like "Shop", it's just an archaic way of writing it, like "Ye old shoppe". Alternately, it's a "cool" way of saying "Shop", you know, being retro on purpose etc. I get it. But what is ending up happening is that people are using this word indiscriminately, without understanding it. As far as they're concerned, their competition is calling itself "Shoppe", and they should too. In a sad twist to this tale, the not-so-educated shopkeepers read this word as "Shoppy"!! And in the local languages, the signs read "shoppy" and on radio, the ads say "shoppy". I am really worried that in a few months I am going to start saying "shoppy"!
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