Sneha

The biggest problem I face when it comes to shopping and housework is taking care of my child. I have to leave the child with my mother and pick her up later. I have to cook food early in the morning and wake up early to do the grocery shopping. After that, I come back home and go into the kitchen to cook. I usually return around 7:00 am and then take a bath. I have to do the household chores and look after the child. When we return, we pick her up from my mother's house and I have to cook for her. After that, I have to run the shop.

The biggest challenge I face as a woman is that I am not able to take care of myself and my child. I am unable to cook and eat food on time.

The change I want to make is that I want to set the timings of the shop because it will be a burden when the kids go to school. It is okay now since she doesn't have her school, but she will have to wake up early when she starts going to school.

When we go to buy clothes, they show us the types of clothes and we pick whatever we like. We choose the types that suit my shop and the type of customers I have. We know what types of customers come to my shop. There are no high-end customers. Normal customers come, so we get normal clothes.

First, we will purchase the goods. Even if there are no workers, we can still proceed with the deal as long as the goods are full. That's why I have mentioned the workers last, because their presence is not essential for the deal.

This is important because we need to buy the goods first and keep them in our shop. When customers come, we will need workers to assist. Vendors are important because we rely on them to purchase goods. We buy goods from Delhi, Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, and Bombay. My husband and I go to Delhi, but we don't go to Bombay because we would have to close the shop for 3-4 days. We close the shop on Sunday, so we go to Delhi on Saturday to do the shopping and return in the morning to open it on Monday. No, we don't buy from Prayagraj because the prices are high and the variety is limited. There are many shops in Delhi, and Gandhinagar is a large market where we find all types of clothes and the variety we need. The local shopkeeper only keeps one variety. And we have to buy everything.

We chose these Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Delhi. The kurtis are better in Ahemdabad. T-shirts and tops are nice in Bombay. They are affordable. They will cost Rs.20 to Rs.30 more in Delhi. If we get the T-shirts from Bombay, it will cost us Rs.20 less. If we get the T-shirts from Delhi, it will cost us Rs.20 to Rs.25 more. The same goes for the kurtis. They are manufactured in Ahmedabad. They come to Delhi from Ahmedabad only. I buy kurtis and kid’s clothes from Delhi because I don't go to Ahmedabad and Mumbai all the time. I go there rarely. We mostly go to Delhi. Maximum products come from Delhi.

I go to Ahmedabad when there is a season. My husband went to Ahmedabad when it was Teej. He goes when it is the wedding season. We go to Ahmedabad and Mumbai when there is a festival or wedding season coming up. We get kurtis, lehengas, sets, and suits. We get a lot of variety there. Apart from that, we get a very low rate for the kurtis. The kurtis and suits go from Ahmedabad to Delhi. There is a brand called MK. MK's Kurtis and Riya's Kurtis are from Ahmedabad. They are sent to Delhi. Woolen products are from Ludhiana. They go to Delhi when they are made in Ludhiana.

At that time, when my husband goes to buy inventory, customers come and we deal with them. I inform the workers about their tasks. I create a list of the products we need and give it to my husband. We restock the goods when their quantity decreases. I instruct him on what to bring based on the customer's demand.

The customers tell us about their preferences and demands. For example, if they want a suit, we ask them about the variety of suits they want: a pant kurta set, a palazzo set, or a frock set. We show them options based on their preferences. No, we don't write it down. We are aware of the current trends. When you go to the market, you will also become aware of the trends. When you go to the market, you can inform the sellers about the type of clothes you want. When we visit the wholesalers, they inform us about the latest trends, such as palazzo suits or pant kurta sets. We stay updated on the current trends. Based on that, we stock our shops with goods.

When a customer comes and demands something we don't have, we show them what we have. We try to persuade them to buy it and sell it. We have to show it to them. We have to talk to them. We have to make them understand. We have to give them more time.

We go to the market to buy items for our shop. We buy whatever the wholesaler shows us and whatever we like from that collection. We ask the wholesaler if there are any problems with the color and if they will fade after one wash or not. We simply ask for the company's details. We choose clothes from companies that offer good quality products and avoid local ones. Yes, the clothes from Om and MK are good, so we mostly buy clothes from those companies to prevent customer complaints. I also keep an eye on the market trends while purchasing clothes from wholesalers. The color is the main factor, along with good variety and quality materials.

Yes, I check the quality of clothes. If the clothes are good, it means they are of good quality and the color is good. First of all, the material should be good, the color should be good, and it shouldn't fade. You can determine if the design is good by looking at it.

No, we know what type of clothes the customer likes. Some people like fancy, some people don't like fancy stuff. So we keep fancy as well as normal clothes.

We keep more daily wear and less party wear. This is because each piece is expensive, costing around Rs. 1500-2000. The fashion for party wear is always changing, so if I get stuck with 2-3 pieces, they become outdated. That's why I don't keep a lot of party wear. Yes, sometimes the clothes don't get sold out. In that case, it is better to sell them at half the price to avoid any loss. At least you can get what you want.

I write about customers' preferences and designs. We write what we desire. There is not just one or two things; there is a lot of variety. So we have to write everything that we want and what is lacking in our shop. We write the colors that we desire. Clothes like pants and leggings are never out of fashion. We have to write the color of everything because everyone forgets once we reach there. When we have to go somewhere, we write what we want and then go to Delhi. I write in my notebook or I WhatsApp it to my husband about what we need. There are many types of leggings, including cheap ones and expensive ones. We consider the colors available in both and then I write down all these things.

We have hired a girl and a boy as our staff. We have hired a girl because many of our customers are ladies. Many ladies feel shy to ask for anything from a boy. That's why we have hired a lady. Many men come here. When they see us, they run away, so we have also hired a boy so that they can talk to him. Men come here to buy things and they don't ask us. If they want to buy undergarments, they only talk to the boy.

As a woman, I face problems like going back home, getting tired, cooking food, taking care of the kids, feeding them, and then helping them study. It's a lot of work, but it's important to do them all.

My Routine. When my husband is not around, I wake up early in the morning. I take a shower, pray, make breakfast, and serve it to everyone. I have my breakfast and pack my food to bring it to the shop. Then I drop off my child at my mother's house because she cannot stay here all day. She cannot eat or drink, and I cannot look after her because we have to take care of our customers here. She tends to do mischievous things, so I leave her at my mother's house. It takes about half an hour, including the time to drop her off and the traffic. Then I arrive at the shop around 11:30 am or 12:00 pm. We open the shop, set up everything, and do whatever needs to be done. I perform pooja. Then the customers arrive, and we attend to them. We continue to have breakfast. I usually have it at home, but sometimes I eat it here. Then we sit here and have our lunch at 3:00 or 3:30 pm. My sister-in-law packs it and gives it to us. After eating, we continue to serve the customers. Later, I go to my mother's house to pick up my daughter, and then I go to my in-law's house. After changing clothes, I cook food. I reach home by 9 PM.

When my husband is there, we get up early in the morning. Then everything is done on time. We have our breakfast, followed by lunch in the afternoon. Then we leave and stay until 10:00 pm. He works on whatever needs to be done. We come back around 10:00 or 9:30 pm, depending on the customer. If there is a crowd, then both of us go back late.

I decided to work here because my husband used to be alone. I had to come for support. So that's why I decided to work here. I wanted to open a parlor. But now he says that he is alone in the business and that I should take care of it too since he is outside most of the time, so I have to look after the shop.

Yes i check the price of the clothes while buying from wholesaler, because there is a copy of everything. If there is a top, it will be the same in their shop as well. But the difference in them will be; for example, if there is one stitch, it will cost 5 rupees more. If there is interlocking, it will cost 10 rupees more. There is a difference in clothes. We check the clothes. It is a big deal to explain to the customer. For example, if a customer comes to my shop and says that he is getting clothes for so and so price in other shops then I ask him to check the quality. I have to explain to him that my clothes are good, I have interlocking.

If customers compare prices with other shops the I have to explain to him that my size is good, my clothes are good, I have interlocking and that their clothes will be different.

In Delhi, there is a shop called Mirchi Waala on Tank Road. The variety of clothes they offer is excellent. The tops and other garments are very fashionable. You won't find such clothes anywhere else. You will discover this when you visit the market. We just need to remember one thing: ask the locals for recommendations on where to find fancy clothes. They will provide us with the necessary information.

Yes I have been using smartphone since 10 years. If something went wrong, I used to get worried and think, "What's wrong with the phone?" even though it's a new phone. I used to run to the person who had more knowledge about it and ask him to check what's wrong with it. I went to my uncle.

I use Google to find information. Yes, sometimes I search for what is currently popular and what types of clothes are available. I mean, I search for what is currently trending and what types of clothes are available. I search like this. For example, if I have to go somewhere, then I rely on Google. So, I receive a lot of help from it..

Yes, I know there are shops on Instagram. Yes, I follow them. I see all kinds of clothes and fashion trends. They are in the clothing business. I don't pay attention to whether it is wholesale or retail. I just follow them. I don't receive any help in my business. I receive help for myself. I receive help for buying outfits for weddings and parties.

Yes, customers bring designs to my shop. I don't know. They screenshot them and ask me if I have those designs or clothes. I get confused. We try to find the types of clothes that the customers want, but we don't always have the same ones. We try to suggest wearing something else. Sometimes they agree, sometimes they don't.

We have customers, and we have a lot of designs. We put them on WhatsApp as status. We put all the designs on WhatsApp as status. Everyone sees them: photos of clothes, catalog. They message me to ask the price of the clothes when they look at my status.

They are my customers who ask for clothing prices on WhatsApp. I only give my number to them. I don't give it to everyone.

We show them good varieties and the best clothes in our shop to make them our regular customers. We talk to the customers and ask them what they like. We give them the best clothes in our shop. They come first. They tell us themselves that they want this type of clothing. If they want to see a specific kind of suit, then we show it to them.

We update our status on WhatsApp when we bring new clothes from Delhi. It works. Yes, we update the status. Everyone sees it. Whoever wants to buy it comes here.

We chose this location because it's in the main market. It's on the main street.

No card machine. We have a code to scan. One is Google Pay, and there is one more app. Since most of the customers were paying online, we had to keep the barcode.

We count the cash and also keep track of the sales and the revenue generated from them. We receive the message on the screen. The cash is deposited into my husband's account. Even if a customer makes a payment, we are notified. We check if the payment is successful. If the payment takes longer, we have to inquire if the money has been received. We take a screenshot of the payment and also capture a picture while asking the customer. We have information about the remaining customers, so we can gather details about them.

Yes, I want to expand the shop. I'm thinking about getting some fancy stuff like party wear and gowns. Not now. I will get it in a few years. I haven't thought about it yet because one faces a lot of problems in offline business due to the online one.

Online shopping is a problem. Customers don't understand the quality of the clothes. They ask us why we sell at a certain price when it is sold for a lower price online. I tell them that my variety is different, but they don't understand. I explain to them that my variety of clothes is different. I suggest that they order online. However, it's not always perfect. Sometimes I order online for myself. When customers say that it's cheaper to buy online than in Delhi, I order a piece and see that the quality is very poor.

I will have to keep a different variety of clothes to expand my business.

In order to survive in online competition, the quality of the clothes should be good. The prices of the clothes should be reasonable. We should keep up with the latest trends in clothing. The design should be appealing. The quality of the clothes should not be poor. The color should not be poor. The size should be accurate. If it's labeled as XXL, it should be XXL. If it's labeled as XXL locally, it means it is equivalent to a size L.

The variety has increased a bit in the past 5 years. It used to be only for kids, but now it's for ladies as well. It caters to both kids and adults. Previously, it only had jeans and tops for kids. The shop used to be a joint venture with my father and brother sitting together. When the shops got separated, we started keeping different varieties. The shops were located in front. My brothers used to keep kurtis and more. Now their shop is on the other lane, and our shop is here, so we offer a wide range of varieties.

I take advice from my husband about business. He takes advice from his customers on what they want. And the rest, he takes it from the wholesaler.

My husband mostly goes outside. He has to bring the stuff from outside because I don't go outside all the time. He does the side work. When I need help, then I call him.

Both of us take those decisions about the shop.

I want to run this business to make money. I have to earn money, which is why I want to run the shop.

I can't give time to one shop and we are busy here all day so how will we manage the other shop?

I don't have time to do anything. I am in the shop all day. I can't take care of my baby because of the shop.