Purchasing lingerie and undergarments in the Kingdom remains a less than pleasant experience for women in the Kingdom. Why, you may likely ask? 99 per cent of the sales clerks in such shops are men. The minority one per cent of women selling such products are at the women-only shopping malls. Therefore it is not at all unusual for the male sales clerks to at times go beyond the order of professionalism when assisting and selling such items of a personal nature. I’m not shy to acknowledge that when I am in need of such items I have my daughter-in-law select and send them to me from the States rather than risk an overly-arduous sales clerk make inappropriate remarks while one is trying to determine what size and style to purchase.
Thanks to Saudi in the US during a dialogue on this issue and market opportunities, he queried on the viability of home lingerie businesses in the Kingdom. For those not aware in the West it is very common for women to have parties which are similar to Tupperware parties where a woman will come to ones home and present a selection of lingerie items which women can order and purchase.
It goes like this, a woman will host a party. She will invite her various friends to this party in the privacy of her home. The female representative comes with her stock and sets it up in the home resembling a small retail store. Here is where the invited ladies can view, try on and select items without having to enter a mall or store. They can take their time, enjoy each others company and get advise from each other on what looks good. There is no pressure from a pesky and aggressive male salesman.
Women will make their various selections. The hostess of the party will usually get a commission and special gift for hosting such a party (just like Tupperware parties). Other women will also have the choice to book and host a party at a future date at their own home. After this business is concluded, the women usually enjoy a variety of snacks and each others company.
What a painless and enjoyable experience!
Now I wanted to post the links of such enterprises which specialize in the home lingerie parties for those who are interested but not surprisingly, all of those links are blocked. I did a google search term on “home lingerie business” and pages of information was provided. The links I was able to view are provided below:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2044511_select-lingerie-home-party-consultant.html (this one explains how to select a home lingerie consultant to come to your home and host a party).
http://www.athomedirectory.com/list.php?cat_id=42 (this link will provide links to companies where one can become a representative for at-home lingerie parties. I can access the link for the information but most of the individual company web sites for at-home lingerie business are blocked)
So what do you think? Do you agree or not on whether this would be a viable and enjoyable opportunity for acquiring lingerie and underwear rather than face the male clerks at the retail shops in the malls?
Filed under: America, culture, gender, Saudi Arabia, Saudi culture, Saudi customs, travel, Uncategorized | 19 Comments »
