'Pay now or pay later': No cashier, guard or CCTV, this laddu shop in Jabalpur runs on faith

Siddharth Pandey / TNN / Updated: Mar 18, 2025, 09:17 IST

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In Jabalpur, a unique laddu shop operates on an honor system, overseen by an idol of Lord Krishna instead of salespeople or cameras. Customers are trusted to pay for what they take, with an option to pay later if they lack money. The shop, inspired by faith, features an unmanned cash box and serves prasad-quality laddus.

'Pay now or pay later': No cashier, guard or CCTV, this laddu shop in Jabalpur runs on faith

A unique laddu shop in Jabalpur runs without salesmen or cameras; instead, an idol of Lord Krishna oversees transactions. Customers take laddus and leave money in a cash box or promise to pay later.

JABALPUR: Here's a unique laddu shop in Jabalpur where there is neither any salesman or cashier, nor any CCTV cameras. Only an idol of Lord Krishna watches as people walk in, take what they need, and leave the money in the cashbox.Jabalpur: Here's a unique laddu shop in Jabalpur where there is neither any salesman or cashier, nor any CCTV cameras. Only an idol of Lord Krishna watches as people walk in, take what they need, and leave the money in the cashbox.
If someone doesn't have money, they can still take laddus with a promise before the Lord that they would pay up the next time.
Next to an idol of the deity, there's a cash box with compartments for various denominations of currency, and the message: ‘Please take your change money'.
On Monday, customers walked in, picked up packets of laddus, kept money in the box, took change as required, and left with a ‘pranam'. The shop opened on March 11.

Asked why he came up with this ‘pay as you please' idea, shop owner Vijay Pandey said: "Once, a person hesitantly asked for laddus for his daughter though he did not have any money. People may hesitate to ask humans, but they don't hesitate before God. This is what inspired the shop's opening. Faith keeps the world going."
Lord Laddu Gopal is made a partner, and a bank account has been opened in His name. The shop offers laddus made of dry fruits, jaggery, gram flour, and other ingredients. "Everything is made by machines. Laddus from my shop are offered as ‘prasad' in temples," said Pandey.
Has he checked the cash box yet? "I don't need to," smiled the mithai-wallah.

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