This is the kind of experience that I didn’t want to share but I feel that in this world many are like me who have gone through this experience or going through or wanna be going through.
I went to holiday trip with my relatives for Tamilnadu. We were at Chennai i.e. our first place to visit at Tamilnadu. During second day we got to know that India’s biggest mall is in Chennai called ‘Express Avenue’.
We all decided to hang out in that big mall, to eat, do shopping in different shops and showrooms at mall. We all decided further that let’s separate from each other by making different groups and meet at a common place at 3pm, i.e. multiplex at mall.
So, I went with my relatives in different group for hanging out….where I suddenly decided to shop. It wasn’t predecided.
We went to the ‘Lifestyle’. For men it was at one floor lower, we can go there by escalator inside the ‘Lifestyle’ showroom. I had decided to choose to.buy t-shirts for me…. and it was completely my choice… For the first time in my life I got the ‘REAL’ experience of shopping.
I know it’s sounds really uncool…but for me it was awesome…because before entering into ‘Express Avenue’, I did shopping with my mom or dad or friends. This time one of my relative was with me but he told me “Choose freely, I m here, get trials…buy at your own choice…” & I felt like “Ja Simran ja…jile apni zindagi…” I was out of my city and though I was with my relative I was free to do anything… so I did it….and I loved what I did.
While entered into men section…there were clothes from different International brands….there were so so amazing that I became confuse to do what now, like which brands to try first… I have decided to shop within a budget of Rs. 2k because at that time I had only that much. So like an economical buyer I had to control my emotions. There was another reason for control my emotions and it was about my size of t-shirts i.e. XL. I am not slim so that I had to choose selected available. I was happy that for my size all kind of branded t-shirts were available and it were in 360° around me. In every brands clothes section there were different discount schemes..like 40%, two free on buying one, 20% off on jeans etc. I went to different brands and tried many cool t-shirts.
My sized t-shirts were not available for that most famous brands which I like the most. So I went to other brand section where 50% discount were there on only two t-shirts buying…but again size problem. So again I went to other brand section where i got the best t-shirt but the price of t-shirt was equal to my entire shopping budget…so again I went another section where I got my size but I didn’t like those t-shirts. Again I went to other brand section where I got my size cum discount of 40%. When I ask the representative I got to know that discount scheme is not on both t-shirts but on lower price t-shirts of two or more t-shirts you buy. And this kind of general scheme was in entire store. At that time I realized that this is how discount schemes applicable and sellings are made by them. But I wanted some different pattern but that was not available on that same brand section…so again I had to change brand where again it was 40% discount and that brand was ‘UCLA’. In that section my sized t-shirts and my liked colours also available so I bought two t-shirts from there. Now I wanted to buy last one brand’s t-shirt too that I liked but due to same pattern I rejected it. So I went again to that brand section, it was ‘Kappa’, and I bought the one that I liked and the other one with the different colour but of same pattern. But instead of buying within Rs. 2k, my 4 t-shirts costed now beyond my budget….so again confuse to whether buy or not. I selected those four t-shirts, 2 from ‘Kappa’ and 2 from ‘UCLA’. On knowing that I was shopping beyond my available money my relative added an extra remaining money for it. & thus at the counter of cash I paid money and bought t-shirts of my own choice for the first time.
On buying I had to pay discounted money…and Lifestyle gave me different rewards vouchers which I can redeem on other stores purchases.
I got KFC vouchers too…that also I can redeem.
So by this experience I learned few things….
1. Your choice is best because you are buying by your own
2. You become aware about a kind of clothes and brands that suits to you the most
3. Discount schemes are good but to take benefits of big discount buy more
4. If you feel it’s wrong purchase, you can’t blame someone else…as it was your own choice
5. Your size is different for different brands
6. Feel freedom/Independence of buying
7. You become aware of different available brands in market
8. You learn that if you want to wear an awesome clothes and best brands then become a person like that to wear like that.
9. Always have extra money with you so that you can’t miss the opportunity of best.
Usually its normal to buy clothes for many people. But in my case my old belief, that I can’t buy clothes for myself alone and I need help to choose clothes, proved wrong by myself by this experience. Now I feel self esteemed and confident. Now it was like when I think of Chennai, memories of my shopping and Express Avenue comes in my mind. I am thankful to my relative who came with me. I still remember my way of walking became changed….as I felt great and wow. It was proud walk.
I want to all those things I never did in my life and I wishing for…as life is awesome and I wanna be experimental and will take risks.
Dwarkesh K. Diwan 