Now that you’ve selected the Kancheevarams, please stand in front of the mirror. I will drape each of the saris on you so that you can judge for yourself how they look on you. Maybe that will help you whittle down your choice to one or two? I am an expert at draping saris or, rather, I have become one, ever since I started working as a sari saleswoman almost 10 years ago. Be it a stiff cotton sari or a Kancheevaram or a slinky chiffon, I have learnt how to drape them all and that too very fast. The key is to get the pleats right. It’s only 11 a.m. and you are my 10th customer of the day. The number is only going to increase as the day progresses given that it’s Onam season. The rush will really set in late in the afternoon and in all likelihood all of us salespeople will be on our toes till closing time, 9 p.m.
For the past six years now, I have been working in the silk and fancy sari section at Parthas. When I am dealing with a customer, the first thing I do is figure out what they have in mind for a sari in terms of material, quality, price range, colour, whether it’s a sari for a young woman or an older one, and the likes. I don’t reel out the questions one after another. I prefer to ease into them by talking to the customers. My job is to guide them in the right direction without stressing them out. And believe me, for many of them, buying saris, and that too expensive ones such as wedding saris, is often quite a stressful task.
Nowadays, though, most customers, particularly youngsters, are aware of the latest trends and have a specific idea of what they want to buy. They know the difference between various types of material, down to the various combination of weaves and often tell us what exactly they want – for example, a Kora silk with jute border, a Benarasi with jacquard lace, a ‘partly’ Kancheevaram with temple design... The trick to getting customers to buy the saris is to be pleasant to them. A smile and a whole lot of patience can really work wonders in this business. I chat with them about their families, especially if they are regular customers – and I have several of them; I complement them on their colour choices or point them towards better colours, if necessary, and so on. I tell them that the sari should speak to them. I’ve figured out that, on an average, it takes around 45 minutes for a customer to make a decision, more so if it’s a wedding sari.
I became a saleswoman due to family circumstance but now I love my job and really enjoy dealing with customers. I am 29 and an only child. I live with my parents in Karamana. My father, Murugan, used to be a goldsmith and my mother, Vasantha, is a homemaker. I hope to get married at some point or the other (laughs).
Other than that I don’t have many plans for the future. I am only looking forward to the busy week ahead.
Enough about me. Have you decided which sari you want?
(A weekly column on the men and women who make Thiruvananthapuram what it is)
