When we landed with our bags in this part of the world, we were told to take "Ponni raw rice" one quintal gunny bags for our measly little belongings that wont cross 10 underwears and an equal number of outerwears. We were told that we are going to a "shopping paradise" and hence its required to be prepared for the loot.
Well.. We have seen all those malls & the mall-u families who fill those malls with their india imported ungils and aundies. Some malls are big, some are bigger and some are never ending like, for the lake of better pejorative, namitha's waistline!
If I may publish idiot and illadhavan's guide to shopping in this region, I shall recommend the buyer to look for McDonald's where one could buy an icecream cone for 1 buck and a burger for 3 bucks. We make it a point to ask for obscene quantity of sauce and tissue papers. My wife actually believes in rip won winkle style of contributions - Get from the rich (McD) and give it to the poor (Me & Her). Hereby we pass a decree not to think about this post when you ask for tissue paper at our house.
That self-served benevolence apart, we dont find any such acts directed upon a poor asian buyer here. The malls are brilliantly architected and the shops inside sometimes look like magnified diamond cut swarovski crystal holes. lavishness does find a new meaning here. So when we walk into one such shop with 500 of 50000 watt designer lamps, gillette mach 3 shave touting pinstripped suit wearing armenian sales guy and a 6 ft tall Yves Laurent perfume wearing, overgrown "you know what" displaying sales woman, you hardly get the attention you seek as a customer. Especially since you and I are customers who haven't evolved beyond Arrow shirts and (at the max) giordano pants, with a monthly salary little less than what the native kids spend on pizza and Wii games, your existence is ignored like watervapor in air.
That said, even with the attention if it ever come by our way, I would never spend 5000$ on a watch or 2000$ on a suit. Not that I am not worth it, but my customers or co-workers dont deserve such a marqueely dressed sauve man from mars, or so I say till I really can afford.
Till then, diwali shopping in India in megamart ho!
