What I learned from picky customers, early morning market runs, and fruit-loving gym guys
Running a small grocery store in the estate is not for the faint of heart. The early mornings, the endless customer questions, the price haggling, and yes—the highly particular customers—all come together to make grocery work both exhausting and oddly entertaining.
I once ran a humble shop that sold fruits, vegetables, bread, unga, and a few essentials. I met all kinds of people, but there’s one type that truly stood out…
The Avocado Inspector
There was this lady—let’s just call her Madam Avocado. She would come by regularly, and if she wanted an avocado, she would inspect it like it was a high-end piece of jewelry. I’m not exaggerating.
She would:
- Check the stem end for softness,
- Rotate the fruit slowly like a diamond under light,
- Look for invisible dents only she could see,
- Even ask if I had “any from a different supplier today.”
And if it was bread? Oh, that was another inspection round!
“Not this one—it looks burnt.”
“This one is too pale, was it even baked?”
“Do you have fresher ones from this morning?”
I learned quickly: if I saw her approaching, I’d brace myself and pray the avocados had no bruises that day.
Men and Their Fruit Baskets
Another trend I noticed while selling fruits in the estate was how health-conscious men shopped.
They didn’t want sweets or biscuits—they wanted:
- Avocados (for the healthy fats),
- Bananas (post-workout or breakfast-on-the-go),
- Carrots (which some claimed helped with eyesight and skin).
One guy even told me, “I take carrots like medicine—two a day, every day.”
Grocery store wisdom, I suppose!
That One Late-Night Customer
Just when you thought the day was done, and you were dusting off the counter or closing the last crate, there was always that one customer.
You know the one:
They’d show up just as you were turning off the lights, call out casually,
“Ni wa kufunga? Ah, basi nipee ka avocado tu haraka…”
And there you were—unzipping crates again, counting change with half-asleep fingers, smiling like it wasn’t 9:30 p.m. and you hadn’t been up since dawn.
But you serve them anyway. Because that’s the nature of the hustle.
The Hustle Behind the Hustle
What many people don’t realize is that running a grocery store is no small feat.
- You have to wake up early (sometimes before 5 a.m.) to go to the market for fresh produce.
- You return, arrange everything neatly, and start serving customers who never really stop coming.
- There’s hardly time to sit, and you learn quickly that some people will ask for half a banana or a quarter cabbage—and expect exact change.
But you also learn to love the rhythm. There’s community in that daily hustle.
Final Thoughts: Even the Dent-Free Avocado Has a Story
Every job has its joys and jokes, and grocery store work is full of both. You meet people with real quirks, real routines, and real demands—like avocados that must be exactly 85% ripe with zero bruising.
So here’s to the picky ones, the health nuts, and the aunties who know their bread crust better than the baker.
And to the late-night shopper—thank you for making sure my day really never ended early.
You made my shop lively, funny, and full of stories I still carry.
Until the next reflection. 🛒
#LobbyReflections #GroceryLife #KenyanSmallBusiness #AvocadoLovers #CustomerChronicles
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