I guess it will not come as a surprise to many that the idea for this write up was conceived as a flash of lightening while standing on a long queue at the cash register. (We will return to the queue later.) I sincerely believe, there has to be some kinship, some cosmic connection between women and shopping. Yes, the US in the title refers to us, the womenfolk, the members of the fairer sex, the ones with amazing patience especially while being on a shopping rampage. Men are so out of this global phenomenon – most of the times their sense of certainty is uncanny while buying things for themselves. They know exactly what they want (at least for the material stuff!) and do not go beating about the bush. And we, on the contrary, prefer to take our own time, compare things, prices, shops, just look around. We don’t want to hurry this process. No Sir. It’s not about having the thing you want at the end of the day, it’s about how we do it, it’s about having the best deal in town, having checked all the available options and making the smartest choice. (No prizes for guessing whom the term ‘rational consumers’ was termed after!)
Now, the reasons for going out on such a shopping spree are as many as the stars on a clear night sky. It can actually be the need of something (winter is just round the corner and am sure I can do with another scarf), a harmless window shopping just to have a look at the latest trends (its important to notice what the mannequins are wearing), to indulge yourself after the salary is credited (why else do we work so hard if not for giving in to these little whims and fancies every once a while?) and so on. A classic scene from a not-so-old Hindi flick comes to my mind now -The background voice asks a woman – kya dil ke tutne se dard hota hey? And the woman goes – of course darling! dil ke tutne se dard hota hey; tabhi to hum shopping jaate hain!!) Smart quip, right?
Anyway, my story was simple. I did need to buy that scarf and some winter necessities for my 5 year old. And contradicting the aforementioned rules, I managed to find these 2 items within a smooth 30 minutes. And then, just out of curiosity, I proceeded towards this high end women’s clothing store which is known for its sample clothing fairs every once a while. It really was like my feet were drawn towards it, in spite of and beyond my own wishes (the ones on the surface at least). And the rest as they say is… There was not only 70% discount on most of the clothing, to promote some upcoming designs they were testing how the samples are received by the prospective customers. Who complains? I love the market strategy guys! You can not imagine the riot in the shop (Or can you?) Within another 30 minutes I was struggling with 7 pieces of beautiful clothing at dirt cheap (well, almost) price. Imagine my glee! And then it was time to stand in the queue. About 30 women struggling to manage 3-12 pieces of cloth. And there was just one cash register. No wonder I had to stand in this queue for 1.5 hours!
Coming back to the queue as promised. This was not a normal dull bunch of people waiting to pay their money and get out of the shop. NO! Relationships were made in here. Phone numbers were exchanged. Each others loot was compared, merchandise were exchanged after having a cursory look at the size. If you are one of us you know the peace that befalls on somebody’s face after a successful shopping experience. There is a glow of inner satisfaction. (No, am not exaggerating it, trust me). All these women, in a state of bliss with the feeling of mission accomplished, were surprisingly glib and amiable to each other. Also this was a classic case of unity in diversity. There were women from varied walks of life - those high hilled, gadget complete career women seemed like soul sisters to infant-nursing recent moms for that specific moment in time. The regularness of life was completely forgotten in these minutes, this was our moment and we were just happy..
And all those people (girls mostly I guess) who are oh-so-jealous of me, please wait patiently and keep your eyes and ears open. Your day will come. Do let me know of your moment of ultimate glee…
