We all love stories, don’t we? Storytelling is an impactful technique to share a message, ensuring that most people understand and remember the message for long. For instance, religions rely on mythological stories to impart lessons. Brands use emotional stories in advertisements.

In this article, I’ll share a recent anecdote that made me realise the power of stories.

I got these sunglasses during a school trip (nostalgic) and recently broke them. Honestly, I am not a frequent sunglasses user and only use them when I go on trips and have a photo shoot.

In India, bargaining with hawkers and vegetable vendors is very common. The sellers know this too, and that’s why they inflate the price so that after bargaining, they end up selling at the price they wish to. For example – if an item X is priced at ₹500, they’ll pitch it as ₹600 cause they know most customers would bargain and reduce the price to ₹500. This is a win-win situation as the buyer feels the sense of victory and the seller sells the item without incurring a loss.

Usually the products by street peddlers and hawkers are unbranded (that’s why they’re so cheap). Mind you, you will find a lot of peddlers selling duplicate products of authentic brands, but you are better off not buying them in the first place.

For instance, why would you publicly embarrass yourself by wearing shoes labelled “Abibas” instead of “Adidas”?

In my opinion, you should never compromise on the quality of products that you frequently use, like shoes and cushions.

One fine evening, I was strolling and came across a hawker who sold spectacles. While I was returning home, I saw a hawker with many shades and sunglasses on display. I inquired about the price, and he replied, “Price is same for all – ₹100”. The hawker was a kid around 11 years.

The idea of purchasing non-branded sunglasses appealed to me, as I rarely wear them (mostly while clicking candid pictures XD).

As it’s an unspoken rule to seek a discount while street shopping, I thought of asking for it. Generally, if you buy in more quantity, you are eligible for a discount.

Isn’t it amusing that we bargain with street vendors for discounts and happily pay the full price at malls?

I asked the kid what would be the price if I bought two glasses? He said it would be ₹80 for each piece. It was a sweet deal, but to avail that I’d have to buy 2 glasses even though I just needed one. I convinced myself to buy both because the price was very cheap and if I bought something similar from an established shop, it would have cost me 5x more.

Side note: Online retailers like Amazon offer heavy discounts, making us impulsive to buy things that we don’t really need (hope you could relate to it).
I was running short of spare cash, so I asked if he accepted online payment. He declined, so I offered the ₹500 note and asked if he had the change, but he didn’t have that as well. So finally, I decided to call it off and told him that I’d get it tomorrow. While leaving, I asked his name, and he answered, “Pratyush.”

The next day I returned but couldn’t find Pratyush. Instead, there was a lady who was looking after the glasses. I asked her about Pratyush and listening to his name brought a smile to her face. She proudly told me that she was his mother and asked how I knew him. After all it’s not common for her to see random buyers claiming to know her son. So I briefed her about the discussion I had with her son and started testing out the glasses.

While I was checking the frames, the lady informed me that Piyush is having an exam at his tuition class, which is why he isn’t here. I wholeheartedly feel that Education is the key to reducing poverty. Therefore, I feel delighted whenever I see kids from impoverished backgrounds studying hard.

She casually told me that his annual school fees cost her ₹5,000 and tuition fees cost ₹18,000.

If you are not an Indian, you may be wondering why the heck is the tuition fees more than the school fees! Well, that’s very common here. In fact, the school teachers open their separate coaching classes. Surprisingly, the school students also enroll in the coaching classes.
In short, the students pay for the school fees and separately pay the coaching fees to learn the same subjects they learned in school from the same professor.

I know the concept is amusing, but honestly, I went through the same during my school days. Can’t blame the parents as well, cause they think enrolling their kids in a private coaching institute will help the kids get more attention from the professor. That’s why they readily pay for it.

Subtly, Pratyush’s mother asked me if I could arrange a part-job for him as the pandemic affected them badly. It was getting challenging to manage their expenses. I felt disappointed cause I could not help her with that. For a school student, I could only think of the security guard job at that moment, and I suggested that to her. She told me that they already tried, but all the flats nearby had no vacancy.

In that moment, I realised how fortunate I really am. While I was in school, I was not burdened with the responsibility to earn for the family. Infact I did my first ever internship when I reached 18. And here was Pratyush, apparently 11 years old, expected to attend school, coach classes, and do a part-time job to look after his family. When I was of his age, I was playing GTA Vice City on my computer all the time.

I chose the two glasses and handed over ₹200 to the lady. She told me they usually charge ₹100 for each piece, but as Pratyush promised to offer me at ₹80, she will honour his word. So she returned the change (₹40) to me, and I collected it.

I don’t know why, but I was not happy with the discount that I received. I instinctively returned the change and requested her to buy ice cream for Pratyush with that money. The smile on her face became evident, and she nodded. Even asked me to return back soon. I nodded back and left the place.

This is the first time I returned the discount to any street vendor and paid full price (I can’t assure if I’d continue doing this in the future too).

I thought a lot about what made me return the money, and I realised that it was the STORY! Emotions are very powerful, and stories help in weaving them. The sad state of Pratyush combined with my inability to find him a job made me return the change. It didn’t appear to be a grave loss as I would have spent that amount on some snacks anyway.

If I didn’t know about his backstory, I may not have shown empathy and would have happily left the place along with discount.

The purpose of sharing this anecdote is not to brag about my kindheartedness and nobility. Instead, the purpose is to show how powerful stories are and how they affect our decision-making.

I’d love to read your thoughts in the comment section.

Talk to you soon!