All over the world, one hears of Amazon etc. killing off small bookstores and businesses and one feels sorry for the loss of a business which is well-run, knows and cares for their customers.
Well, Sapna Book Store is here to prove you wrong. This is a shop which deserves all the damage that Amazon etc can throw at it.
On the positive side, the place has lots of books which you can browse at your leisure. Thanks to the ignorance of the shop owner, they stock books which are not best sellers.
(Shop owners who are savvy tend to keep things which have higher margins and actually sell, so the choice for eclectic readers is naturally limited.)
The place is however grossly over staffed with semi-literate assistants who can barely understand you, leave alone find a title which you need. Luckily they are capable of finding the one guy in the entire store who actually knows how to look up stuff on their computer, and tell you that it’s out of stock.
They have no discounts, and in fact charge for parking, unless you spend a minimum of 500/-. Being in a crowded area, this is understandable. What is not understandable is the way they peer at every bank note, and make claims that perfectly valid currency are "fake."
I guess common sense and good eye-sight is not a requirement to be hired here. We’ve already estabished that the ability to read is not required either in this book shop.
While one lamented the demise of Premier Book Stall and the The Stand, and even the demise of various Crossword stores across the city, one waits with baited breath for the demise of this place, hopefully at the hands of Amazon. No need to deal with rude, ignorant staff, and no parking problems.
TL;DR Sapna means "Dream." Appropriate for having any hope of a pleasant experience here. Dream on.