Thirsty Chennaiites have become easy prey this summer for some Tasmac employees who are making a killing out of selling chilled beer for a lot more than its worth.
The operation is simple : They down the shutters before the stipulated time and then agree to sell the chilled beer only if customers pay 50 per cent more for it than it actually costs.
“When I went to a shop near the railway station in Perambur at around 9.45 p.m last Saturday, an employee pulled down the shutters abruptly even while customers were waiting although the closing time was 10 pm.
He then refused to hand out the beer unless we paid Rs 120 a bottle,” complains one angry resident.
But if he thought his trials had ended he was in for a shock as another shop, just 20 metres away, charged a ‘nominal’ Rs 10 more although it was open at the time.
Recounts another beer lover, R.Kamesh of Ayanavaram : “The employee of a shop demanded `90, which was Rs 10 more than the fixed price, and was generous enough to reduce it to Rs 85 when we refused to pay.”
But Tasmac employees have their own take on the issue. While acknowledging that a few employees are trying to make a quick buck out of the summer heat and the resulting demand for beer, Tasmac employees union (AITUC), general secretary Dhanasekaran says they are sometimes forced to sell the liquor for around Rs 5 more to make up for the losses due to breakages and also to compensate for the Electricity Board’s bill which always crosses the fixed limit.
“But if employees are selling beer for 50 per cent more than its asking price, they should be punished for doing so,” he believes.