RETAIL THERAPY

Excitement ran high last week at work. We were going on a field trip to culminate our two-week long merchandizing training. And to an all-girl group what could be more exciting than spending half a work day shopping?

Our group was to go to Big Bazaar in Koramangala and we were there pretty early, expecting to see the store nearly empty. But boy, were we surprised! There were home makers, PYTs, grandmothers and grandfathers with grandkids in tow; all browsing the shelves.

Things went smoothly for a while until one of the store managers caught two of the women busily scribbling in the questionnaire that was given to us in the beginning of the trip. Talk about being naïve… The next thing they did was to come up to me and start recounting their horror stories of being followed all around the store by the security guard. Grow up gals!! What did you expect??

Thanks to their seeking me out to vent, the store manager marched up to me and demanded to know whether we were on some kind of project to which I put on my most innocent expression (I know he wasn’t fooled one bit) and showing him my basket, told him I was just shopping.

At the billing counter, the aforementioned gals needed to take a look at the feedback form. So I had to turn thief (thank god they don’t tag their feedback forms) and steal one.

We made it back in one piece and then the hunt for a bell began. I wanted to showcase one of Big Bazaar’s promotions and it seems like living with a 3 year old has turned me into a noise freak. I found the noisiest bell possible, (after much begging from my long- suffering parents) and was I gratified when, at the start of the presentation, (we were the last) I walked up to the platform ringing my bell as loud as I could, effectively waking up all of the audience who had fallen into a pleasant doze!!!