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Yesterday was my first on line shopping experience and I must say it was wonderful.

In the good old days before gyms and yoga studios all we really did to keep fit was play tennis, badminton or squash at the Club, go for a jog around the colony , or a swim at the pool or do Yoga at home with a book for instruction . At that time I remember the only equipment we ordinary mortals used was the skipping rope or at dumb bells if you were a dedicated body builder. But in those days no one wanted abs and pecs and all those rippling muscles that every one wants to flex. The ones who were seriously into body building were people who entered competitions like Mr. India . Yes, it’s true even the Miss India was a competition which most girls entered for a lark.

In this era of complacence towards muscle tone, one exercise system that actively promoted body building was BULLWORKER which is why I can never forget their advertisement that consisted of a puny little guy having sand kicked in his face by the big burly beach bully

 who would then walk off with his girlfriend thus rubbing his nose in the dirt even more! So, dear man, to avoid this embarassing situation, get yourself a Bullworker  and stand up to Mr.  Beach Bully and keep the girl on your arm.  And of course Bullworker was sold by Post or VPP with COD. I was fascinated by these terms and always wondered how it worked. Did the parcel really come as promised? What if you wanted to return the item? What was the procedure then? And since I was no beach punk with a girl friend to hang on to, I obviously never went for this product or this kind of shopping but I secretly  hoped my little brother would go for a Bullworker since he was the “kid” in his class . Alas! My brother didn’t need the Bullworker nor the muscle to get the girls because he was a natural charmer and already had a tough time keeping them away. And as for my father, since he already had a babe without the muscle tone,  he didn’t need it either. So postal shopping remained an unsolved mystery in my life for a long while.

A few months ago, I was tempted to try and bought a mop through the Time of India advert which offered a whopping 60% discount. My mother’s warning rang loud in my ears as I SMSd the order to a given number and waited with baited breath for the product to arrive. It did and I was pleased as punch. I proudly showed the Maid how to use it and imagined spotless floors with effortless ease. How wrong I was when two days later she  pressed on the pedal to wring the mop dry only to have it snap off in a trice! That explained why it was selling for 60% off!

But once bitten I wasn’t twice shy – nay I was not shy at all. Having discovered the ease of shopping from the comfort of my home, I decided to change the vendor. Besides, how wrong could you be with a book?  With  parking a big pain and the non-availability of the book a greater possibility, I have virtually stopped shopping for books. And I really wanted the book. So I ordered it through FLIPKART and I must say  it worked!!!

The book came within 3 days of placing the order, perfectly packed and delivered by a person who actually knew what he was doing. For one, he didn’t address me as SIR when I am so blatantly a woman. He was polite and efficient and didn’t diddle me with the usual ” I have no change” line and pocket the change. Nor did he ask for water or tea or any other beverage to slake his thirst and wonder of wonders , I didn’t have to reveal any credit card details on line, nor did I have to sign up and register to become a regular customer. Flipkart made on line shopping a completely painless experience.

Now buoyed by this pleasant experience I may just become a click shopper with one more excuse to surf the net, especially since the Mumbai roads  are caving in or are in imminent fear of collapsing thanks to the underground drains which have crumbled and integrated with the earth below!

Thank you Flipkart for pulling me into the virtual world of shopping!