Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Peep Peep

Stores like Fab India, Anokhi, Cottons have a lot in common apart from the kind of clothes they sell. It is their I-am-doing-you-a-favour-by-selling-you-my-stuff attitude. In short, a very Dilli attitude.

I end up visiting these shops 'coz they are the only ones who seem to be stocking kurtas / kurtis which fit me. It has been years since I shopped at Fab India - read link.

I visited Cottons in N-Block, GK I in New Delhi last week. These guys seem to think that every customer is a shoplifter. Unless you are dressed in silk kurtas-salwar, putting one kilo lipstick and makeup and talk "dahlling" like a South Delhi-ite or "hainjeeee" like a Punju maami, you definitely come under the shop lifter category for Cottons. From the looks they give you, it is very obvious that they will assign one ollipicchan girl who will follow you like a Vodafone puppy wherever you go.

I have one more important reason to say this. How else would you explain a changing room that looks like this?

That pic was clicked from the inside of the changing room. Inside... where you could see everything on the outside AND VICE VERSA. So a passerby can actually peep into your changing room as you are trying to fit yourself into yet another 'L' kurta. That was the first time I saw a changing room with a mirror outside the room. You will actually need to get out of the pigeon hole also called as changing room to look at your wonderful self in the 'L' kurta. Its not just you, even the employees can see you with the HALF DOOR that opens into the changing room.


The store room [locked in the pic] is located right next to the changing room. Obviously the employees - particularly men who walk into the store room get their daily, hourly, minute by minute dose of 'deiva darisanam' as people try fitting into the clothes.


As I could see, these people at Cottons do have their stringent measures like giving a coupon marked with the number of clothes you take inside the pigeon hole, to curb shop lifters.

I am still trying to figure out what prompted the owners to have a changing room like this which provides a free view for all. There was not one, but two pigeon holes. The other room faced the entrance directly.

So here goes another shop out of my list. If anyone from Cottons is reading this - Aunty-jies, not everyone who visits your shop is a shop lifter. Grow up people!

19 Responses:

MADHAV said...

Nice blog. Its disgusting to see such a trail room in a ladies garment store. Wonder what they were thinking if at all they were thinking!

Fab India was out for the Shaani shurunai stuff. What was Anokhi ruled out for? Maybe I missed that blog.

Always fun to read your blog. Did you also give a feedback to the store manager? Maybe you should send them a link to your blog!

Regards
Madhav

Shwetha Srinivasan said...

Love the way you use ollipichan, so appropriately ;) Never heard anyone apart from my mother using it, and it has never failed to amuse me!

ATT said...

// ollipichan // - LOL - that happens in every store these days! I hate it . . .

PRG said...

why don't you try 'west side' where u get kurtas and kurtis in all sizes.

Anonymous said...

aiyo, how disgusting. send the shop a link of your post. idiots! to get around this 'big' prob, i shop for material and go to a tailor and get stuff made that lasts and looks decent.

Sri said...

You should go talk to that store manager. Ask him whats the purpose of a door that doesnt serve its purpose!

Lavanya said...

aamanga, avanga romba mosam.

I like westside, you should try it sometime. And they have dressing rooms which have full doors. :D

And completely right about the shopkeeper attitude - edho avanga namlukku dhaana-dharmam panra maari...kaasu kuduthu dhaana vaangarom! bilady buggers.

Harini said...

"ollipicchan girl who will follow you like a Vodafone puppy wherever you go." - LMAO on this...dang it..you should write "Vasanam" for cinema..am sure they will be sooper dooper hit...

maxdavinci said...

so this is how hep delhi peepuls like to change in teh open?

vaary yinterestingu

Teesu (very very Indian, very very good) said...

VERY sidey of them. I know the kind of shop-folks you are talking about and it puts me OFFFFFFFFFF.

RAJI MUTHUKRISHNAN said...

Nice post.

Shammi said...

Aaaack! That's AWFUL! I understand why they'd want to keep track of the number of "trial" clothes each customer takes in... but the changing room-mirror thing is disgraceful.

Manchus said...

The ollipicchan ponnu following is the concept you can find in most Eastern countries , I remember once we were doing some 'Duty Free' shopping at Tokyo and there was this Ollipicchan Chappa mukku following us. Also noticed that in Singapore and Malaysia.

Fab India used to look cool long back, now it is just another shop. I find better shops in Bangalore.

You are good at becoming a movie dialog writer or a Tehelka like reporter.

Last time you wrote about those cab drivers and how you will out them here in your blog. Likewise these 'snobbish' shops. I LIKE IT.

முத்துலெட்சுமி/muthuletchumi said...

ஹய்யோ ஹய்யோ.. இந்த பின்னாடியே வர வோடாபோன் சேல்ஸ் கேர்ள்க்காக பல கடைய நானும் வேணாம்ன்னு விட்டிருக்கேன்.. வெஸ்ட் சைட் தான் இப்பத்தைக்கு ஒரே புகலிடம்..:))

Maddy said...

Peep hole mattum thaan paartheengala??.....Camera-keemara onnum illaye??....Ivlo open-au oru room irunthaa athukkum chance irukkille.

ekta khetan said...

Yeah You are right...Plus they are exhorbitantly prized and lost the unique ness...Dressing rooms are always suspicious...

Now I have got another reason to avoid shopping here!!!

Archana said...

ollipichan girl!!!!!LOL! That trial room definitely looked shady!! Did u complain?

madhu said...

hi i came here from laksh's blog, can i get an invite to ur other 2 blogs? or if its for family, thats ok. ty madhu265@gmail.com

Narendra shenoy said...

hahaha! First time here and enjoying it!