There is no owner or shopkeeper, you have to make and drink tea yourself

There is an unusual shop in Charatla Bazar of Harinakundu Upazila of Jhenaidah. There is no seller or shopkeeper here. Customers make and drink tea according to their needs, buy the products of their choice and at the end, calculate and leave the money. The shop is known to the locals as 'Honesty Shop' or 'Trust Shop'.

This innovative shop has been operating for four years, relying on people's trust and honesty.

You have to make your own tea yourself

Recently, 65-year-old Harun Aur Rashid was seen making his own tea at the shop in Charatla Bazar. He was making tea not only for himself, but also for others present there.

However, Harun Aur Rashid is not the owner or employee of the shop. He came to drink tea as an ordinary customer.

The rules of this shop are that whoever comes, buys the products as needed, makes his own tea himself and calculates and leaves the money when he leaves.

There is no seller in the shop

According to locals, the shop sells tea, betel leaves, bananas, biscuits, cakes, as well as vegetables and other products. But there is no specific shopkeeper there to sell these.

Pedestrians or market people come to the shop and buy the products themselves. Some make tea and drink it, while others make tea for others. Then, they count the products they have bought and leave with the money.

If someone does not have the money immediately, they can come and pay later.

The ‘trust shop’ has been running for four years

The shop is owned by Samser Ali. He opens the shop every morning, arranges the necessary goods, lights the stove and goes to work on his grocery business.

He returns to the shop once in the afternoon and again at night to count the sales for the day. Then he closes the shop.

Samser Ali said that he used to spend more than 200 taka every day while sitting and having tea at other shops. But he does not have time to sit in his own shop all the time, and he has not found any employees to keep the shop. So he decided to leave the shop on the trust of the people.

Daily income 400 to 500 taka

According to Samser Ali, the shop earns an average of 400 to 500 taka daily. The most surprising thing is that sometimes when the shop's products run out, the customers themselves buy new products and bring them.

Even those who come to the shop to drink tea sometimes make tea for the shop owner Samser Ali.

Customers also respect trust

Matleb Hossain, a resident of Payradanga village, said that he regularly comes to the market and drinks tea at this shop whenever he gets a chance.

According to him, since there is no shopkeeper in the shop, he makes tea himself. Then, if someone else wants to drink tea, he makes tea for them too. Then, he calculates his bill and leaves the money in the shop.

Another local resident, Afangir Hossain, said that the shop has been running the same way for four years. Usually, no one leaves without paying for the products. Just as the shop owner trusts the customers, the customers also respect that trust.

A unique example of honesty

For the local residents, this shop is not just a place to buy tea or daily necessities, but has become an example of mutual trust and honesty.

According to them, it is rare in today's times to run a business based solely on the honesty of people without having a salesperson in the shop. This exceptional initiative has been sustained for four years thanks to the faith of Samser Ali and the responsible behavior of the buyers.

This 'honesty shop' in Charatla Bazaar is a real example of how easy and beautiful mutual living can be if there is a mindset of trust in people and respecting that trust.