Taking a torn kurta back to the shop counter

You bought a kurta on Monday. By Thursday the seam has opened at the side. The bill is still in your bag, and you are standing at the shop counter with the kurta folded over your arm.

The look

Keep it neat and plain, like someone who has come to sort out one small thing and then get on with her day.

• Modest option: a cotton kurta in one solid colour, straight trousers and flat chappals.
• Modern option: a plain shirt tucked in at the front only, blue jeans and flat shoes.
• Hair: tied back in a low ponytail or a simple braid, so nothing needs fixing while you talk.
• One small detail: a bag with a zip, so the bill is easy to find and does not get crushed.

You do not need anything new for this. Wear what you already feel steady in.

The one confidence move

Take the bill out before you reach the counter and hold it in your hand. At the counter, put the kurta down with the tear showing, so it is the first thing the shopkeeper sees. Then say your two sentences, and stop there.

Now wait. Do not fill the silence with sorry, or with the story of how it happened. The pause will feel long to you and ordinary to the person behind the counter. Keep your feet planted and let your free hand rest flat on the counter.

What to say first

Say it slowly, in your own voice:

I bought this on Monday and it's torn at the seam. I'd like a refund, please.

If it goes sideways

If you hear a no, or "only exchange", do not raise your voice and do not start explaining again. Keep the same tone and say:

Could I speak to the manager?

Then wait again. You are not angry. You are only asking for the next person to speak to, and you can say it with a small smile.

One thing to try today

Write your two sentences on a piece of paper or in your phone, with the day you bought it in them. Tonight, stand at the mirror, say them out loud twice, and stop after the word "please". Then put the bill in the front pocket of your bag, where your hand finds it first.

Each Sunday: one moment coming up this week, the look for it and the one line to say first. Find the cards at /moments.