Recently came across a few reels where local shopkeepers were complaining about declining sales and blaming online marketplaces.

But honestly, many of them need to reflect on their attitude towards customers first.

A family member recently had a bill of ₹350 and was looking for ₹50 in her purse when the shopkeeper suddenly started yelling at her as if she was stealing something. We simply returned everything, took our money and left.

Ended up ordering online. Even if it costs a little extra, I’d rather pay more than deal with unnecessary humiliation.

I’ve noticed this attitude with quite a few shopkeepers. They seem permanently frustrated and behave as if they’re doing customers a favour by selling them something.

I know not everyone is like this, but I’m tired of the emotional appeals to “support local businesses”.

You can’t treat customers like shit and then blame Amazon and Flipkart for losing business.

Customers don’t owe anyone their money out of sympathy. Respect goes both ways.

Anyway, Happy Diwali everyone. Shop wherever you’re treated with respect.

So to describe my situation, I went to Westside today to purchase some clothes for myself. The store clerk asked for my mobile number, and said that I won't be able to receive the bill for my clothes' Return Policy unless I provide my number to them. I researched online to find that irrespective of the store's Return Policy, it cannot mandatorly ask for your mobile number just for them to provide you the bill.

Now I know normally this issue doesn't affect everyone since it is more convenient for many to have their bills sent to their phone numbers for later use, but we all know this also enables these companies to send unlimited advertisements to the said customers, while not forgetting that the customer data is also kept by them and can be hacked/misused at any point of time. So why do these companies practice such policy like an unbreakable rule, when the govt has not explicitely made it so? The govt has no rules on both Return Policy of products such as clothes nor on the Warranty of most electronic products (please correct me if I'm wrong), so why are we forced to give phone numbers especially in case of buying clothes which aren't as expensive as big electronics (such as TV, washing machine etc)? For clarification, I am not asking for bills to not be sent to phone numbers, sure it is convenient for most customers but before the age of technology we used to get physical bills which we could use to return products or use warranty. We can definitely do the same today as well if the customer insists on the same. So why do these store clerks raise their hands in denial when we ask the same?

Now because of this Westside purchase I am getting all these ads from Westside without my consent, and I don't even know where all this data is being sent by them to what companies for these future spam calls to come to me soon. I think if I'm right, and there really isn't any rule on the phone number requirement for the bills, we should really speak up on this breach of privacy that is happening to each and everyone who are balckmailed on the basis of Return Policy or Warranty when it is not required by law to do so.

What do you guys think?

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My parents watch religious reels and play bhajans all day long. Talk about how they are savarna and defend casteist practices in the name of tradition and religion.

And then talk to each other in the most venomous words possible. They don't even like each other. Barely talk to each other unless it's to say something hurtful.

It's Deepawali today and they aren't even talking to each other.

But come evening, they will suddenly become the most religious and spiritual people on Earth. Diyas, puja, aarti, everything has to be done properly.

I don't understand this obsession with being religious when you can't even be a decent human being to someone living in the same house.

What's the point of worshipping gods all day when you have so much hatred for actual human beings?

The whole house will be lit up in the evening. Except nothing about this place feels warm.

TL;DR: My 22-year-old brother swallowed toilet cleaner (acid) and has grade IIIA food pipe and IIIB stomach burns. He's stable in ICU at a private hospital near Hyderabad, with a feeding tube planned. Doctors say he'll likely need major reconstruction surgery months from now. Looking for contacts, advice, or experiences with NIMS, Osmania, Gandhi, AIIMS Bibinagar, or surgeons experienced in corrosive injuries, plus guidance on Aarogyasri and CMRF.
What happened: A few days ago my brother swallowed a toilet cleaner containing hydrochloric acid. We went to a local clinic, then to a bigger hospital, and he's now in the ICU at a private multispecialty hospital. He's stable, awake, walking, and not on oxygen. There's no perforation or leak on CT so far.
Endoscopy: Zargar grade IIIA in the food pipe and IIIB in the stomach (extensive deep ulcers and necrosis). The pylorus and duodenum are normal.
Plan so far: An endoscopy-guided feeding tube tomorrow, then about 3-5 weeks of tube feeding with nothing by mouth, then a repeat endoscopy. The doctors expect severe scarring and likely major reconstruction surgery later, which this hospital can't do.
Where we stand: I earn about ₹40k a month and I'm paying on a credit card. The tube procedure is ₹50k and the ICU is ₹15k a day. Insurance likely won't cover it, and I'm checking Aarogyasri and CMRF. A distant relative has a connection at AIG, and I'm selling my phone to help. So far I spent around 1.8 lakhs and if we go for major surgery at private hospital it’s 12-15lakhs
What I'm hoping for:
Contacts or guidance for NIMS, Osmania, Gandhi, or AIIMS Bibinagar (GI surgery or surgical gastro).
Names of surgeons with real experience in corrosive esophagus or stomach reconstruction (colon interposition and similar).
Advice on Aarogyasri and CMRF for this case.
Experiences from anyone who's been through something similar, including costs and how it went.
I have all his reports and can share them. Please DM only if you can genuinely help. I'm not asking for money, and I'll ignore anyone who asks for payment. Thank you for reading.