Reminder

This is a morning of discoveries and inspiration :)

So I step into the chemist's for a toothbrush, twenty rupees in my pocket. I have been a regular there these last ten months, and she always smiles at me from across the counter, waiting while I pick up the usual: toothpaste, shampoo, soap and the odd strip of paracetamol or Band-Aid.

This morning, though, two things are decidedly different: the layout of merchandise in the personal care section, and her enthusiasm in personal care for me. After we say hello, she wants to know what kind of hair I have. "Curly and dry, am I right? Have you tried this shampoo yet?"

No, thank you, I say, the one I'm currently using suits me just fine (besides, those who know me will vouch for my fanatic adherence to a particular brand...only out of my sheer love of marketing :) I can barely hide my surprise at this sudden chattiness - and at the sudden profusion of products from an FMCG major on all the shelves at eye-level.

And all the time that I'm sifting through the toothbrushes in the basket, she waxes eloquent on the rosemary and thyme and vitamin E that make this shampoo absolutely the best thing to happen to curly hair. I smile politely and tell her I only have twenty rupees on me, and could I buy the toothbrush, please?

She obliges, even as a salesperson from a rival FMCG company walks in with a long list, greets her, makes himself comfortable on a chair, and begins to tell her about all the discounts she can get on bulk purchases and for meeting sales targets. I turn back as I walk out, and I see her examining her newly re-arranged shelves with a critical eye, already contemplating another re-arrangement.

But of course! Rule 1: Increase visibility. Rule 2: Woo the retailer.

How could I forget?