Yes, Guys! That day will surely come. You will have to accompany the wife or significant other for saree shopping! How you respond to the not-so-subtle hint is going to mark you for ever.
In the good old days of the joint (or extended) family, you were safe. She may go saree shopping with her MIL, SILs, or other relatives. And you could just give the money safely curl up with a book. With modern nuclear families – no such luck! You will have to do the accompanying.
On our trip to Chennai last month, M and my mother both planned saree shopping. They conspired on the research and identified the store. Believe it or not, they planned it for the same day we arrived in Chennai. I softly recommended shopping at the end of the trip. My argument: “you won’t have to carry the sarees around for the entire trip” did not go far. “We’ll just put the sarees in the car, which will be with us the entire trip,” was the quick rebuttal.
I resigned and with a big smile, went along. I survived, and you will too!
Here are Ten Survival Tips!
And pics from our shopping extravaganza at Nalli’s (Nalli Chinnasami Chetty), Chennai. Apparently THE place for sarees! Don’t fret, all cabbies know the place! 
- When your hear the first hint of going saree shopping, be enthusiastic and jump to it!
Elephants and wives have great memories in this regard. She will remember if you try to dodge your way out. Eventually she will get her way, so might as well go along and get it over with. - Plan! Plan! Plan! Who? What? How much?
Talk to her and identify who the sarees are for. What event are they for? What general color (s)? This may all change once you get to the store, but get her to start thinking. It will save a lot of time and indecision later.In Nalli’s for eg. they have four (or five) levels of sales areas with different pricing and styles. They must have about 25 sales folks on each floor. As soon as we approach a counter, the salesman would bring out and unfurl 20 – 40 sarees in a matter of seconds. Completely overwhelming! Even her head will be spinning. My mother’s vast experience in saree shopping was apparent. She quickly honed in on a style and selected her picks within an hour. Poor M was still darting from counter to counter, and floor to floor, in a daze!
- Get a Price Estimate!
Then add 50 – 100 % and consider yourself lucky. You didn’t think this was going to be cheap, did ya? - Plan at least half a day.
Anything less and you are only asking for a grumpy shopper. And you will have to do it all over again. Don’t try to plan any activities after the shopping. You will be exhausted!But you will be surprised at the energy reserves women have, when it comes to saree shopping. This same girl who wilts in 10 seconds in a camera store, can shop sarees for days!
- Take a Pill for a Headache – before you go!
The wide array of bright colors, and the faint aroma of new fabric will overwhelm your senses. And constantly having to make comparisons is sure to induce a migraine. Remember to take your favorite pill for headaches – before you head out. - Go on a Full Stomach.
I get cranky when hungry; and it shows in my demeanour. And she will interpret it to mean you are being skittish on accompanying here and spending money. So eat well before you go. - Don’t say, “OMG! That much for a piece of cloth?”
No, my friend. You will look cheap AND you will be ridiculed in front of all relatives – for evah! Remember the elephantine memory. Some things are never uttered in this temple.And one more thing my friend, there is no such thing as an ugly saree. At least not that we guys can tell. She may point to some as hideous, and you should simply agree!
- Helpful phrases:
That is a beautiful color!
Look at the delicate embroidery!
Yes, it is expensive, but definitely worth it for you!
I think everyone will love this saree of yours!
Memorize a long list of such phrases and you will be a chum. - Buy Lungis for yourself!
They are cheap. I splurged on two! Not that I wear them, but at least I got something. At Nalli’s the most expensive lungi was about 125 rupees. What asymmetry! How come they don’t have Kanjeevaram silk lungis with elaborate gold “jaari?” - Carry a Credit Card.
Yes! you could get a back ache carrying that much cash! And bring out the card in a flash! No hesitation here. And smile widely the entire time you see the bill and sign for it. Don’t even think of that nice D-SLR you could have purchased for that money. - Bonus! Be thankful the day is over.
At the end of the extravaganza offer to carry the heavy saree bags and remember to say: “What a great day! We should do this again!” (just kidding!)
So go ahead! Smile, go saree shopping and splurge!
And after this extravaganza, we headed to Murugan Idli, another Chennai tradition!
Marathoner, Professor, Author, Citizen Journalist, Fitness Nut, Foodie, Meera's father, Hindu, Scientist, Photographer.
lol
)) thank god m single :p
I came upon this post just by chance…! It’s great! I am going to forward it to my dear husband!!
Thanks and be strong!
S
Ha hA!
He will certainly be better prepared and may EVEN offer to take you saree shopping, just for the experience.
Best
Arun
i just shared it on google+ with my husband n other friends.. enjoyed it thoroughly… and honestly speaking, my husband has long started the clever practise of clearly avoiding any kind of shopping wth me. …we r both happy that way… me becoz i dont have to withstand his irritation,and boredom, and can peacefully see, try out , bargain at several shops without evn buying a single piece…thats the best part of shopping u know…
Ha ha! yes. I think I am getting there too. I just tell M, “go and buy what you want,” and I can safely do my own reading or other ‘time-pass.’ And there is peace!
Have you noticed that the pattu saree sections in Nalli are staffed by sales men and not women? I didn’t find it as strange but my 15 and 12 year old daughters who accompanied me this time found this ridiculous. WHy in the world does a man have to be suggetsing to a woman the type, color of sarrr to buy. They were utterly bored with the experience of sari shopping and frankly I too wanted to be out of the store as soon as I had finished what I intended to buy..I guess I am not a saree browser!
Yes, I remember the guys manning the counters.
But we were not offended at all. And while I WAS bored, my mom and M could have gone for another day!
I did keep myself occupied by taking pics! and certainly you too must have been fascinated with the array of colors, fabrics and designs. And do share what you got!
Best Wishes for the New Year.
Arun
Sush,
so you have been there? Fabulous na?
WoW! love to see your collection some time!
… and I;ll bring my camera!
Nalli is heaven!!
Great to see them here!!
I have quite a few of those combinations at home
Maya:
Glad you are enjoying! Yes, it is fun! Just that I have a short attention span and after a while, I am DONE!
For me the trick was to be constantly occupied (by taking pics) and finally buying those lungis!
And enjoy your shopping!
This is too funny
..How can shopping for sarees or for that matter, CLOTHES be not fun ??? Just looking at these few sarees, I’m goin all crazy…Can imagine how much time I will take in the store 
)…
Jennifer:
You are absolutely right about the Kerala sarees. Have been dazzled by many of them. In our family, the women don’t wear white sarees; so they allegiance has shifted markedly to the colorful Kanjeepuram sarees.
And I am sure when we visit kerala, M will want a few of the Kerala sarees too. More Fun!
)
They are so beautiful – a soft off-white colour, handwoven cotton, stunningly simple and look so spectacular on, with an amazing ray of border choices. Traditional is gold borders, but even then there are so many variations. Prices also vary a lot.
Ah, Kanchipuram – I visited on my last trip to India, 4 years ago. Amazing city, amazing saris.
Yes, whole shops dedicated to a style of sarees! Amazing, isn’t it?
wait till you travel to Chennai. The ranges of colors and borders and styles is simply amazing. Women usually know the number of “Kanjeevaram” sarees they have. You gotta get one on your next trip!
M does not have any Kerala sarees, so perhaps on our next trip to Kerala, we should try that experience too. Thanks
he he hee. Even I have had such an overwhelming experience. I was so lucky to have an Indian friend with me, to help me choose. It has been repeated time and time again. This last trip to India I bought some Keralan saris in Trivandrum – even narrowing the choice this much, it was still an amazing selection – the whole shop was dedicated to Keralan saris.
hahahaha too good
WOW! Lakshmi:
)
I would have thought you’d be ecstatic at the idea of saree shopping. Apparently not. Then certainly a great way to accomplish saree shopping – and no headaches!
Congratulations and Thanks
Arun
lol – add a eleventh survival tip – let your mom do your saree shopping – for my wedding, my mom and my aunts went a day prior to select sarees. i just peeped in the shop the next day – for no particular reason whatsoever.
Arun, at my home this scenario applies to all kinds of shopping (not only sarees). V does not understand why I roam around in Costco/Walmart/Target for hours and I dont understand why he spends so much time in electronic shops
)).
Those are some cute sarees…..
oops… thats me (above mesg).
arun, i have sent u an e-mail. get back to me when u r free
very useful post
Thank you Anu for sharing your experiences.
Yes, “OMG! That much for a piece of cloth!!!!!”
but I’ll never say it to M
Our parents too enjoyed the temples so much, that we will certainly try and visit again (we are from mumbai);
and M will definitely be thrilled to get your recommendations for more places to shop.
For me, going to one place was enough fun!
- and you did mention, they are expensive
have a wonderful weekend!