TIRUCHI
Trial rooms in textile showrooms serve no purpose these days. The showrooms have kept the trial rooms locked in keeping with the safety protocol, causing disappointment to many a customer.
“Though customers disinfect their hands with sanitisers while entering the showroom, we are not prepared to take chances. There is no certainty that a same garment will not be tried by different persons on a same day,” a manager of a showroom in the city said.
“We do follow all safety protocol. None, for instance, is allowed to get into the showrooms without wearing face masks. But, there is always the risk of the infection spreading through unknown means. That's the reason why exchange of goods once they are sold is strictly not permitted in the present situation,” a managing partner of a readymade garments showroom who did not wish to be identified, said.
The niche advantage of the brick and mortar business over online transactions has been the advantage of trying out the garments. But then, compliance with safety protocol is now of foremost importance, he said, citing the instance of the forcible shutting of a large showroom in Coimbatore after some of their staff got infected.
“It is indeed a difficult situation. Suddenly, everybody looks at all others with suspicion and fear. The spike in the number of cases has only made matters worse. Right now, there seems to be no way to wade out of the crisis-like situation,” he said, adding that a sense of desperation has begun to arise as none is able to predict anything about when the crisis will subside - whether it will take weeks or months or even longer.
Facing the challenge of running the business despite shortage in the number of salespersons in the showrooms, the proprietors are already worried about recovery of business in time before the start of festival season later this year.
