Pakistani Fashion Sweethearts:
Everybody loves a good discount, especially when it is offered by big brands like Khaadi, Sapphire, or Nishat Linen, which can safely be called the Pakistani nation’s fashion sweethearts. They conform to Pakistani trends and tastes but may, at times, be a little heavy on the pocket, so people looking forward to sales is nothing unexpected. People being excited for these brands’ once-in-a-blue-moon reductions used to be the norm, which has now been replaced by another rather sly marketing strategy: the concept of flash sales.
Flash Sales:
A flash sale is a slash in prices for a brief period at an unexpected time that keeps people on their toes. Apparently, a flash sale seems harmless—all of the stuff that has been lying in carts and wish lists can easily be bought if one is just a little attentive and punctual. But is this really the case? Very often, new arrivals or stocks of better quality are altogether removed from websites, and if one somehow manages to get their hands on something to their liking, they are met with a frustrating “out of stock”. So really, what is the point, one may ask?
The answer to that is simple: by announcing a sale for a period as brief as forty-eight hours at an unexpected time, people are hypnotised into purchasing—even if they do not need it.
Major FOMO:
Overconsumption finds its strength in social media influencers posting extravagant “shopping hauls” that make people believe they are missing out on something. This hysteria clouds people’s senses to such an extent that they are no longer able to differentiate what they are buying right now and what they have already bought in the past. They don’t know if something is already lying at home—all they know is that they must get their hands on this one.
Fashion trends and videos like “elegant vs. cheap” place extraordinary pressure on people to conform to the dressing standards of society and not to their own liking. So, when one enters a store, they are at a crossroads: Should I buy what I like or what the chic influencer wore?
Better get a little bit of both!
Evaluating the Damage:
The sight of empty racks, long disproportionate queues with constant jostling and pushing, and exhausted retail workers has become common. People pile up cloth upon cloth in their trolleys without asking themselves one very (if not the most) important question—why?
Does one person actually need to buy seven to eight items of clothing from every brand’s sale, or are they just unable to stop themselves from giving in to the tempting clasps of overconsumption? Even if the former is the case, then why is this not carried out in a civilised manner?
People constantly cut others in line and speak to retail workers as if they were not here to shop leisurely but to tend to a business of utmost importance—with the greatest entitlement. Our land will only be prepared for such sales if and when its people are taught to abide by decorum and to wait patiently in lines for their turns, without believing that they are more important or deserving of saving time than the person in front of them.
The Plight of Retail Workers:
It is highly absurd to believe that by being loud or creating chaos in the store, one will be given greater personalised attention by the retail attendants—when, in fact, this could not be farther from the truth.
After a long day and multiple hours of treating people with nasty attitudes, why retail workers would be inclined to serve another impudent customer beats me. Not only do they have to cater to angry, hysterical mobs, but they also have to listen to complaints from people who claim to be purposefully ignored and denied service. This is humorous, given that the store is jammed with people—each person considering themselves to be more important than the other—and so, providing everything to everyone is humanly impossible.
They are humans, with the right to be treated and respected like one, too.
Park at Your Own Risk:
The absolute nightmare of parking areas during sales is a white elephant—cars parked behind other cars, long lines of vehicles stretching for distances, and constant honking and beeping are some of the many monstrosities that many have the misfortune to witness. Signals from traffic wardens are frequently (if not almost always) ignored by people. Cussing each other out and passing gestures indicating fury is not the way to go. Realising that a problem is a problem is the first step of actualisation. Laws being passed and implemented regarding protection of retail workers is a long shot—but personal input is not. Waiting in lines patiently is not too big of a sacrifice to make, nor is not fighting over clothes.
After all, Bhutto said, “Roti, kapra aur makaan”—not “Roti, Nishat ka kapra, aur makaan.”
