Liquor shop owner in MP promises ‘spoken English’ to lure customers, lands in trouble

In an unusual bid to increase sales of his liquor shop, the owner in India’s Madhya Pradesh tried to lure people with a “spoken English” class along with a drink or few. The owner’s business scheme, however, didn’t last as he received a fine of Rs 10,000 (119.42 USD) from authorities.

The owner of a liquor shop at Nachankheda in Burhanpur district of Madhya Pradesh tried to boost sales of his shop by highlighting the general tendency of people to become more expressive after drinking. He even put up a signboard to advertise his unique scheme, but it failed as police officials asked him to pay a penalty for illegal signboards.

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According to police, the owner had displayed a banner near his shop with the message, “Dindahade English Bolna Seekhein (Learn to Speak English in Broad Daylight).” Under the message, there was an arrow pointing towards the liquor shop.

Take a look at the full image here.

Although it was not clear if the poster sent his sales to a new high, a photo of it went viral on social media, generating both chuckles and criticism.

The banner image also reached the district administration on Saturday, an official said.

Burhanpur District Collector Bhavya Mittal said they directed the Excise Department to take action against the liquor seller. Excise officials then served a notice to the shop licensee.

In his defence, the shop owner claimed innocence and said the banner was put up on private land of another person, which is 40-5- feet away from his shop.

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He also said that some other person allegedly had placed the banner as part of a conspiracy. However, officials weren’t convinced much with his side of the story.

Terming his reply unsatisfactory, the authorities fined him Rs 10,000 for flouting the conditions of his liquor licence, the official said.

The locals were furious over this signboard and said that it would send a wrong message to young people who might get influenced by the "learnEnglish" sign and end up getting sloshed at the liquor shop.

Some also believed that the sign was “misleading” as it looked like an advertisement for a Spoken English coaching centre.

(With inputs from agencies)