At Charatala Bazar in Harinakundu upazila of Jhenaidah, 65-year-old Harun-or-Rashid stood behind a small tea stall, making cups of tea for himself and several others.

There was one unusual thing about the scene: Harun was not the shopkeeper.

He had simply come for tea. The actual owner was away, as he usually is. So Harun lit the stove, brew the tea, served those who wanted a cup and, after finishing his own, left the money for his bill at the shop.

This is how the stall has been operating for the past four years -- without a shopkeeper, relying entirely on trust.

“I come to the bazar every day. Most of the time, the shopkeeper is not here. Whenever I want a cup, I make the tea myself. If someone else wants one while I am making mine, I make one for them too. Then I leave the money for my bill and take off,” said Harun, a resident of neighbouring Paira Danga village.

Customers can pick up cakes and biscuits, make their own tea and eat at the stall. They calculate the price themselves and leave the money behind. Those unable to pay immediately return later to pay their dues.

“A customer steps in as the shopkeeper whenever the situation demands,” said regular customer Afangir Hossain. “It is very rare for anyone here to have something and not pay for it.”

The stall belongs to Samsher Ali from the neighbouring Bhalki village.

He opens it every morning, arranges the goods, lights the stove and leaves to attend to his grocery business. He returns around noon and again at night to count the day's sales and close the shop.

Samsher said he started the stall because he used to spend more than Tk 200 a day sitting at other people's shops.

"I cannot stay here all the time, nor do I have anyone to run it for me. So I have left it to the trust of the people," he said.

The arrangement earns him Tk 400 to Tk 500 a day. Customers sometimes even buy supplies when they run out.

“Those who come to have tea often make tea for me as well,” Samsher said.

For Abdul Khalek, who visited the bazar from Saduhati, the stall offered an unexpected lesson.

“I am impressed by the shopkeeper's trust and people's honesty,” he said. “Coming here, I realised how beautiful and easy life can be when people are honest.”