A Scary Shopping Experience 

It was a wonderful day 10 years back when I was just 5 years old. We, my parents and I, had decided to go shopping as my eldest sister was about to get wed-locked. I insisted my parents on taking me along with them and surprisingly they agreed. We soon drove to our destination. Fascinated by the tall and beautifully decorated building, I quickly stepped inside the mall. I was left with my jaw hanging when I looked at the enormity of the structure. There was a crowd larger than the shopping mall itself and loud music was being played.

We then entered one of the stores inside the mall and I was astounded to find so many varieties of clothes at the same place. It looked so colorful from a distance. We went from one rack to another looking through kurta, jeans, t-shirts, tunics, etcetera, etcetera.  Among all those varieties of clothes, the only dress that caught my eyes was a pink floral frock with a belt and a tiny bow. I liked that dress so much that without any hesitation, I picked it up and innocently kept it in my bag secretly.

After a while, we finished the selection of dresses and it was now time to pay. My mother was paying the prices of all the clothes that were purchased whereas I had completely forgotten about the dress that I kept in my bag. We were heading out of the store when suddenly, the detection sensor started making a weird sound. The security guard rushed towards us and asked us to reveal all the things in our bags. My family members were completely surprised by what had happened. I soon realized that the dress that I kept in my bag was unpaid. I was really ashamed and petrified for what I had done. However, I confessed everything that had happened and asked for an apology. Fortunately, the manager had a daughter of my age and he was very compassionate towards me and forgave us with a big smile.

In a nutshell, it was a bitter and ghastly experience for a child like me. I hated the thought of going shopping after this incident. However, since time heals everything, I now have overcome this fear but I’m still conscious enough to not repeat such mistakes in any of my shopping experiences ever again.

By Samriddhi Shrestha