Pharmacies ask people to make purchases worth Rs500 and Rs1,000

For a second day in a row, people faced problems while buying medicines with pharmacists accepting Rs 500 and Rs1,000 notes, but only if the total bill added to that amount.

Teresa Braganza (65), a resident of Parel, said she was compelled to buy an expensive hair product along with her medications as the chemist was not willing to give back the change. “They insisted that my total billing amount be Rs 1,000 or more, only then would they sell the medicines,” she said.

Although Braganza made the payment, she said she was left with no cash to buy groceries. “I went to the bank in the morning and again in the afternoon, but could not withdraw as there was a long queue,” she said.

Alok Sharma (35), a resident of Andheri was also forced to make a purchase of Rs1,000 when he went to buy medicines for his mother who has hypertension. “I had no choice but to buy other things along with the medicines,” he said.

Pharmacists cited a crunch of small denomination notes as the reason behind forcing customers to make extra purchases. “We went to the bank to get changes for all the Rs 1,000 and 500 notes, but all of them are so crowded. The bank manager asked us to come back tomorrow,” said a shopkeeper at a pharmacy in Parel.

“The banks also don’t have change and asked us to deposit the money. Where will we get the change to give to people? This is why we are asking them to pay the exact amount or buy something else,” said a shop owner near Sion Hospital.