Srina Palace of Horror......
Last evening me and my friend Asanka decided to do a "shopping paarak" ,you know one of those lesuirdly no deadline escapedes where there is a vague goal in mind but you just check out the available stuff ,drool over things and gernarlly drive sales people bonkers. Her mom was already in Borella so we were to rendevous with her near the famous Srina Palace (trinkets ,fancy goods and girlie things joint) where she would chose a small imitation necklace for an upcoming wedding...as it would happen aunty had already chosen this item and was coming out with it when we all looked closely at it and decided that it really didnt cut the grade and we would like a change.
Now I know this is naughty but it really shouldnt be a hanging offence,should it, women being the capricious creatures they are ,often get items changed and this was barely ten minutes from being sold packing intact etc.
we walked in and politely asked if we could change this,from a burly mustachioed guy behind the counter and to our total surprise he started booming out loudly what an inconvienace it was and he would not put up with this sort of thing .He must have weighed about 100 kilos and had a voice like a boombox which he was used to intimidating customers with, a regular little mini terrorist I daresay - and then when the poor girl tried to buy something she needed from the cosmetics section he started SHOUTING that only imitation jewelary could be swapped for imitation jewelary and complaining in stegasaurus tones that she was really being a pain. This was an absolute loud show with the sole purpose of humiliating and intimidating us ,since this was his ostensiably his castle.
Finally my friend was forced to purchase some overpriced glitzy false bangles which she did not want and withdraw in embarresment.
My question is - does this man really think that people will come to his place any more with an attitude like that ?I must admit it is an unusual sort of marketting .I have for example done business with Mr Ajmal of Ajmal Traders who is practically a billionaire and I only purchased a moped from him which is nt even worth as much as one of the lights on his SUV- and I have called him up with petty problems which are not really part of his after sales agreement but he has been polite and courteous to me!
as for Mr AWM Nazar , I belive his name is , well , the legal aspect of this is something I intend to investigate. At no point in the whole building was there any sort of nofitication about their replacement policy and the fact that someone politely asked for an exchange within ten minutes of a sale and was thus punished with harrasment and intimidation until they had to hastily withdraw with a terrible sense of depression after what should have been a pleasent friday afternoon shopping tour - proves that in its large and small ways terrorism is still very much alive and well in this country...
Girls - if you want to shop in peace and have a good time - stay away from Srina Palace at least when Mussolini is around ! (the other sales people are saints in comparision -but just think he is the one who gets the huge margins )and anyway try good old fashioned Pettah for all the glitzy stuff and you will find just the interaction with the freindly helpful people there is a fulfilling experiance itself ! I actually do that as a personal birthday treat to myself every year- take a day off and shop till I drop,in colourful friendly Pettah!
Location details available here but sugegst you stay away unless you are doing a study on how not to attract customers http://www.manaali.com/srina_palace.htm
6 comments:
i SO agree with srina palace
they treat u like dirt in there.... y do people continue to go there?
so where are these pettah places BTW?
Well... I haven't been to the borella branch much, but the staff at the Dehiwela branch are usually very friendly and helpful. I often call them up as well to find out whether products are available and if so the prices. But I'll keep your advice in mind about the Mussollini/T-rex (Stegasaurus would be too gentle an animal to compare him with) *wink*
I don't know, and don't think it's the same guy, but so true. The service, especially the cashier area is so ... BAD (put in the least rudest form). They charged me 80 for something that was 60 -ish, and I happened to notice this after payment, as I happened to look at the bill. When I showed them (him) that it was wrong, instead of apologizing for the mistake, he acts as if though I was the one causing a nuisance!!! If it weren't for Pettah being so far and that place being the only place that sells stuff (like materials, etc), I wouldn't step in again.
It's so sad to hear what you faced at this shopping outlet. I have come to Sri Lanka after 23 years of overseas stay. I find shop keepers, bus drivers etc are so very unfriendly. Some organization or government must pass a rule to employ people with proper training and manners.
It's hard to take this story seriously since you say that your friend was 'forced' to buy overpriced and 'fake' bangles. This is the beauty of the free market- we can go to the places that sell what we want, at the prices we want, with the service level that we require. We can also avoid places that do not need our needs. If the service is truly this bad, they stay in business because borella folks are too busy to go elsewhere, or they just don't care about service as much. People vote with their currency, that's democracy. Likely your Aunty made the salesman crazy with indecisiveness and you didn't see that part. How funny to hear you admit that you call an important and busy man about petty problems, I'll bet his wife loves that. Your husband would do well to find some work outside your home. You have too much free time on your hands. Housewives are always the most overly sensitive creatures.
Well.Ive certainly never been there since then, that indeed is the beauty of the free market. And lots of people who read this will think twice about it too. As for being an "important and busy man", well.I work with diplomats,CEOs and other VIPS and they have manners.This mudalali didnt know how to talk to a decent customer, so we then voted with our feet. As for you assuming that I have to obey some patriarchal husband, and assuming that I do not have work outside home...well you know how the saying goes, when you assume... you make an ASS out of "u" and "me".
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