The invitations are out, but the shop is unfinished. Two partners disagree over whether opening on time would preserve trust or damage it.
01Read the Arabic story
لِمَاذَا أَجَّلْنَا افْتِتَاحَ الْمَتْجَرِ
قَبْلَ افْتِتَاحِ مَتْجَرِنَا لِلْأَدَوَاتِ الْمَنْزِلِيَّةِ بِيَوْمٍ، كُنْتُ أُلْصِقُ بَطَاقَاتِ الْأَسْعَارِ، بَيْنَمَا كَانَ شَرِيكِي سَلِيمٌ يَعُدُّ الدَّعَوَاتِ الَّتِي أَرْسَلْنَاهَا. وَصَلَتِ الْبِضَاعَةُ، لَكِنَّ نِصْفَ الرُّفُوفِ لَمْ يَكْتَمِلْ تَرْكِيبُهُ. لَمْ يَكُنِ الْمَكَانُ كَمَا ظَهَرَ فِي الصُّورَةِ الَّتِي نَشَرْنَاهَا. وَحِينَ اقْتَرَحْتُ التَّأْجِيلَ، أَشَارَ سَلِيمٌ إِلَى فَاتُورَةِ الْإِيجَارِ وَقَالَ إِنَّ الْأَيَّامَ الْمُغْلَقَةَ تُكَلِّفُنَا أَيْضًا.
كَانَ سَلِيمٌ يَقْتَرِحُ أَنْ نَفْتَحَ الْجُزْءَ الْجَاهِزَ فَقَطْ، وَنَضَعَ سِتَارًا أَمَامَ الرُّفُوفِ النَّاقِصَةِ. رَأَى أَنَّ أَوَّلَ يَوْمٍ فُرْصَةٌ لِبِنَاءِ عَلَاقَةٍ مَعَ الْجِيرَانِ، لَا امْتِحَانٌ لِكَمَالِ الْمَكَانِ. كُنْتُ أُوَافِقُهُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ، غَيْرَ أَنَّ دَعْوَتَنَا وَعَدَتْ بِتَشْكِيلَةٍ كَامِلَةٍ وَعُرُوضٍ مَكْتُوبَةٍ لَمْ نَنْتَهِ مِنْ مُرَاجَعَتِهَا. خِفْتُ أَنْ نَبْدَأَ بِاعْتِذَارٍ عَنْ كُلِّ طَلَبٍ ثَانٍ.
اتَّفَقْنَا عَلَى تَجْرِبَةٍ صَغِيرَةٍ قَبْلَ الْحَسْمِ. طَلَبْنَا مِنْ أُخْتِي أَنْ تَتَصَرَّفَ كَزَبُونَةٍ تَبْحَثُ عَنْ قِدْرٍ وَأَكْوَابٍ بِالْأَسْعَارِ الْمُعْلَنَةِ. وَجَدْنَا الْقِدْرَ فِي صُنْدُوقٍ خَلْفَ صَنَادِيقَ أُخْرَى، وَظَهَرَ سِعْرَانِ مُخْتَلِفَانِ لِلْأَكْوَابِ. قَالَتْ إِنَّهَا تُفَضِّلُ مَوْعِدًا وَاضِحًا عَلَى وَعْدٍ لَا نَسْتَطِيعُ تَنْفِيذَهُ. لَمْ تَحْسِمْ رَأْيَ الزَّبَائِنِ جَمِيعًا، لَكِنَّ تَجْرِبَتَهَا كَشَفَتْ مُشْكِلَةً تَتَجَاوَزُ شَكْلَ الرُّفُوفِ.
أَجَّلْنَا الْبَيْعَ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ، وَاتَّصَلْنَا بِالْمَدْعُوِّينَ بَدَلًا مِنَ الِاكْتِفَاءِ بِمَنْشُورٍ قَصِيرٍ. أَوْضَحْنَا أَنَّنَا لَمْ نُكْمِلْ تَجْهِيزَ الطَّلَبَاتِ وَمُرَاجَعَةَ الْأَسْعَارِ، وَلَمْ نُلْقِ الْمَسْؤُولِيَّةَ كُلَّهَا عَلَى عُمَّالِ التَّرْكِيبِ. جَاءَ شَخْصَانِ لَمْ تَصِلْهُمَا الرِّسَالَةُ، فَاعْتَذَرْنَا لَهُمَا وَقَدَّمْنَا الشَّايَ. تَفَهَّمَ أَحَدُهُمَا الْأَمْرَ، أَمَّا الْآخَرُ فَغَادَرَ قَبْلَ أَنْ نَشْرَحَ، وَكَانَ قَدْ قَطَعَ مَسَافَةً طَوِيلَةً.
عِنْدَمَا فَتَحْنَا أَخِيرًا، كَانَتِ الْأَسْعَارُ مُوَحَّدَةً وَالْبَضَائِعُ سَهْلَةَ الْوُصُولِ. بَاعَ سَلِيمٌ أَوَّلَ قِدْرٍ دُونَ أَنْ يَبْحَثَ فِي الصَّنَادِيقِ. وَمَعَ ذَلِكَ، بَقِيَتْ بَعْضُ كَرَاسِي الضُّيُوفِ فَارِغَةً. لَمْ نَعْرِفْ كَمْ زَبُونًا خَسِرْنَا بِسَبَبِ التَّأْجِيلِ. وَضَعَ سَلِيمٌ الدَّعَوَاتِ الْقَدِيمَةَ فِي دُرْجِ الْحِسَابَاتِ، ثُمَّ طَلَبَ مِنِّي أَنْ نُرَاجِعَ مَوْعِدَ أَيِّ إِعْلَانٍ قَادِمٍ مَعًا.
Show English translationHide English translation
The day before opening our household-goods shop, I was attaching price labels while my partner Salim counted the invitations we had sent. The goods had arrived, but half the shelving had not been assembled. The place did not look like the picture we had posted. When I suggested postponing, Salim pointed to the rent bill and said that closed days cost us money too.
Salim suggested opening only the finished area and placing a curtain in front of the unfinished shelves. He saw the first day as a chance to build a relationship with the neighbours, not a test of the shop’s perfection. I agreed, yet our invitation had promised a full selection and written offers we had not finished checking. I feared beginning with an apology for every second request.
We agreed on a small trial before deciding. We asked my sister to act as a customer looking for a cooking pot and cups at the advertised prices. We found the pot in a box behind other boxes, and two different prices appeared for the cups. She said she preferred a clear date to a promise we could not fulfil. She did not determine every customer’s opinion, but her trial revealed a problem beyond the appearance of the shelves.
We postponed sales for three days and called the invitees instead of relying on a short post. We explained that we had not finished preparing orders and checking prices, and did not place all responsibility on the installers. Two people who had not received the message arrived, so we apologised and offered tea. One understood; the other left before we could explain, having travelled a long way.
When we finally opened, the prices were consistent and the goods easy to reach. Salim sold the first pot without searching through boxes. Even so, some guest chairs remained empty. We did not know how many customers we had lost because of the delay. Salim put the old invitations in the accounts drawer, then asked me to review the date of any future announcement together.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| تَرْكِيبُهُ | its assembly |
| الْإِيجَارِ | the rent |
| سِتَارًا | a curtain |
| بِتَشْكِيلَةٍ | a selection; a range |
| الْحَسْمِ | making the final decision |
| تَتَجَاوَزُ | goes beyond |
| بِالْمَدْعُوِّينَ | the invited people |
| الِاكْتِفَاءِ | relying on that alone |
| مُوَحَّدَةً | consistent; standardised |
| دُرْجِ | drawer |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Use details from the story to compare viewpoints and support your inferences. Open the English support if needed.
What to remember
- Testing a real customer task can reveal problems that a tidy display would conceal.
- Postponement may improve readiness while still costing money and goodwill.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Kana in Arabic: Was and Were
كَانَتِ الْأَسْعَارُ مُوَحَّدَةً
Observe the feminine kana form and its accusative adjective describing prices at the eventual opening.
Arabic Passive Participles: Ism al-Maful Explained
وَعُرُوضٍ مَكْتُوبَةٍ
Notice the passive participle describing offers already put in writing.
