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Published: December 19th 2008
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FabIndia in Rome
I was pleasantly surprised... A trip to Delhi is not complete without a trip to the bazaars. Delhi offers great options for the seasoned shopper ... or the enthusiastic girl. From Malls to flea markets, Delhi has it all. On my last trip to Delhi I decided to visit the local market in Dwarka, a few malls in Rajouri Garden, Delhi Haat, and ofcourse, Sarojini Nagar.
I decided to go to the City Center and TDI malls in Delhi and really liked both malls for the variety. The malls offer shoppers a multitude of brands and ensure that the shopping experience is as pleasant as possible. There are Coffee Days and restaurants for the tired or hungry shopper. These also ensure that people who don't want to shop also have a reason for a trip to the mall.
More recently, malls have started incorporating bazaars and flea markets to give shoppers a more complete shopping experience. Shop owners put up stalls selling goodies right outside the mall or on a designated area within the mall. These are colorful and vibrant places where you can buy everything from shoes to bags to clothes to cosmetics to books to decorative pieces. Some sell food as
FabIndia in Rome
I was delighted to see they use a lot of pinks. well, so you can pick up kulfi or some
chaat to take a break from shopping.
One shop i always make a point of going to is FabIndia. I love their fabrics and colors and how you can just pick up random pieces from different stacks and put them together and all combinations end up looking good.
My most pleasant and unique FabIndia experience would have to be discovering a store in Rome whle we walked around randomly in the city. Unfortunately it was closed, but I was delighted to see that they had a lot of pink stuff (yes, I like that color) on display. I'm hoping that next time it will be open and I'll have the opportunity to browse through their collection.
It was a little difficult to find the FabIndia in Chennai the first time we went hunting. Maybe I should've paid attention to the guard who said something to me and pointed up. But we just drove by but decided to ask him for directions next time we crossed him. He didn't look offended but he did tell us that we should've paid more attention to him. The store was fabulous. They
Elusive Signboard
Don't be fooled, we drove all the way to the end of the street twice and still found it difficult to spot. had everything FabIndia, from shoes to bags to furniture to honey! And the best part was the staff was friendly and eager to help. They were always on hand to show us something or give suggestions. There were huge posters of the traditional techniques that FabIndia uses to make some of the clothing and I was in FabIndia paradise. I ended up buying a churidaar kurta in my favorite combination (pink and orange) and picked up a bag to top it off!
The other FabIndia in Chennai is in Spencer's. Although the entire city converges at Spencer's, I was less than happy with the mall. Maybe it was too big for a pseudo-Banglorean, or perhaps The Forum has become my answer to the word 'mall'. However, the small FabIndia outlet at Spencer's is great. Although they don't stock furniture, you do get a variety of kurtas. The staff here is very friendly and courteous and the store is well kept and organized. It is smaller than the other one though.
There are various FabIndia outlets in Bangalore and most of them have the same colorful and inviting look and feel. The FabIndia in Jayanagar is small but stocks
FabIndia in Chennai
Colorful poster about the store. all products. The largest and by far the most attractive is the one in Koramangala. It's a two-storeyed house with a variety of options to choose from. They even have a coffee shop where you can unwind after some satisfying shopping.
The most unpleasant experience by far would have to be at the FabIndia outlet in Sector 11 Dwarka. The first thing I noticed was how unapproachable and unfriendly the staff was. As opposed to all other outlets, the staff here was not ready to volunteer any help in choosing clothing or bags. They seemed a tad bit unwilling, but that was perhaps because it was nearing the end of their day and they were tired. The paranoia was also very evident. I was told not to take any photographs and spent all my time speaking to the manager, who was not in the shop. She finally allowed me to take photographs after taking down my name and phone number. The staff was also not open to suggestions. I asked for a suggestion box they looked at me blankly and told me they didn't have one. When I suggested that it would be good for them to have a
FabIndia in Chennai
Poster explaining the 'Bagh' printing technique. membership card like Shopper's Stop or Pantaloons because a lot of people like me spend Rs. 7000 over a week only on FabIndia products, one staff member insolently replied 'Last time there was a single customer who spent Rs. 20000, so your bill was nominal.' It was an unpleasant experience here, and I'd suggest going to another outlet because any other outlet would win in terms of staff behavior and courtesy. As far as merchandise is concerned, all stores have the same superior quality.
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