The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : On their feet to please customers at work

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Sunday, Oct 12, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

On their feet to please customers at work

Deepa H Ramakrishnan

Photo: Deepa H Ramakrishnan

Ayub Ali, a footwear salesman, helping a customer at his shop. —

CHENNAI: Their eyes are always on your feet. Satisfying a customer with the right size, model and colour is the prime objective of footwear salesmen and women. They don’t mind in helping the customer try a pair of slippers.

“There is nothing demeaning in that. Our aim is to satisfy customers and when someone is unable to put on the shoes on their own, we have to help them,” said Ayub Ali, who has been in the profession for the past 12 years. There are about 2,000 shoe boxes in his shop and Mr. Ali can recall which box holds what.

“As I am the one who does the purchasing, arranging and selling, I know where each pair is kept. But, for all the hard work, we are paid less… I got a hike only recently,” he said, adding that many youngsters do not stay in the job for long because they find better jobs.

“I have remained in the job because I have not studied much.”

Jailani (19), a new assistant at a showroom , joined only because there was a vacancy. “I do not know if I will like the job or for how long I will stay here,” he said.

The footwear business came as a boon for Ramesh Kumar, who sells low cost slippers on the platform near a bus stop.

“I used to sell lottery tickets earlier. But after the ban, this helped me. I earn only a meagre amount but as I like to chat with people, it also helps make friends. I keep looking for alternative employment.”

However, small-time vendors find it difficult due to rising shop rentals, salaries, increase in cost of footwear and heavy competition.

“The bigger shops eat into our business because they buy in bulk and sell at much lesser price,” said a vendor in Thiruvanmiyur.

G. Selvakumar, who works in a shop that sells corrective shoes and footwear, said they don’t close even for lunch. “We do not have time for that. Sometimes we get up in the middle of our lunch to attend to a customer. This is our kind of service, so we do not complain and just keep washing our hands,” he said.

Patience is something these persons cannot do without. Kalikuzaman, who has been in the business for over 32 years , said that it was very difficult to satisfy women customers.

“Sometimes we bring out up to 30 pairs before they choose one. They buy slippers these days to match dresses and do not look for functionality. Even if we tell them that a particular model might not last long, they pick it up for its looks,” he said.

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