When Shopping for Sarees Feels Like Sending Them to
the Laundry!
Shopping for sarees is usually a pleasure. We look
forward to choosing colours, checking the fabric, examining the design, and
bringing home something new. But sometimes, a shopping experience leaves us
disappointed rather than happy.
On Friday, October 23, 2026, I went shopping at
Naidu Hall , Shanthi colony, Anna Nagar Chennai and bought two sarees: a cotton saree costing ₹1,005 and a synthetic
saree costing ₹609.
Before making the purchase, I asked a salesgirl
nearby to open the sarees fully and show them to me. I wanted to ensure that
there was no damage and that the sarees were of the proper length. She did as I
requested, and I appreciate that. However, when it came to folding them again,
she did not seem to know how to follow the original folds of a new saree.
Instead, she folded them like sarees that had
already been washed, dried and used. She rolled them up, accompanied us to the
billing counter, and left.
After paying the bill by debit card, we were given
a plastic carry bag. I was told that it was biodegradable, but I will leave
that discussion for another day.
The real problem was the size of the bag!
It was so large that it could easily have
accommodated ten sarees, whereas I had purchased only two. Once the sarees were
placed inside, they collapsed into one another and became a rolled-up bundle.
They looked more like clothes ready to be sent to the laundry than newly
purchased sarees!
I asked the staff for a paper bag or, at the very
least, a smaller bag suitable for carrying just two sarees. My request was
declined. Finally, I returned the oversized plastic bag and carried my
purchases home in the cloth bag I had brought with me.
I felt disappointed. A shopping experience should
leave customers happy with their purchases, not wondering why a simple request
for suitable packaging could not be accommodated.
What can shops learn from this experience?
I have had better experiences at shops such as
Nalli and Ramraj. They provide cloth bags in different sizes according to the
purchase. Even when I buy just two or three blouse pieces at Nalli, I receive a
small bag that suits the purchase. When I buy a saree, the bag is appropriately
sized for it.
Why can't other shops follow similar practices?
There are two simple things that retailers can
improve:
- Train the staff properly. Opening a saree for
inspection is important, but folding it neatly along its original creases
is equally important. Customers should receive their purchases in a
presentable condition.
- Provide appropriate packaging. A bag should suit the
size and quantity of the items purchased. An oversized bag is
inconvenient, wastes space and may cause delicate purchases to become
crumpled.
Of course, customers can carry their own bags, and
I was glad I had mine. But that does not mean a store should overlook the
basics of good customer service.
A shop's responsibility does not end when the bill
is generated and payment is received. The way a purchase is packed and handed
over also contributes to the shopping experience.
Dear retailers, customers remember not only what
they buy but also how they are treated. A neatly folded saree, a suitably sized
bag and a well-trained sales assistant may seem like small things, but together
they make a big difference.
I went to Naidu Hall to buy two sarees and came
home with them. But the experience left me with a question: Are shops paying
enough attention to the little things that make customers feel valued?
Sometimes, it is these little things that determine
whether we want to return to a shop.
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