"We are constantly in contact with the public, so we have to be patient and learn how to ignore negative comments or rude behaviors."

Salma

Keeping a smile on your face for eight hours straight and being nice to all customers is no easy feat. But sales staff get used to it, in order to keep their job. Those who work in direct contact with customers often face difficult situations. They have to be very patient, as sometimes they deal with rude customers and they can't reply back. Ultimately, a job or work that may be hard or annoying for some employees is easy for others.

Salma, a 39-year-old Sri Lankan saleslady working in a luxury clothing store in Salmiya, loves her job. "I've been working in this store for more than 10 years and I'm very satisfied. I came to Kuwait in 2000 after working in Dubai for two years, also as a saleslady. I like Kuwait, and this is why I have stayed here for so many years. When I applied for the job here, I was pregnant, and at the interview they told me to come back after the delivery to join the company, and since then I'm working here," she told Kuwait Times.

The workplace plays a key role in work satisfaction and comfort. "Fortunately, I work in a store selling high-end brands and our customers are from the upper and middle classes. They are nice and some are like friends. I have got to know a lot of people of different nationalities. Sometimes some customers invite me to dine with them outside - of course I mean women, as the majority of customers are women. It's rare to see a man here as most of our outfits are for women," said Salma.

Salma works six days a week in split shifts. "I have two children, so I wake up every morning at 5:30am to get them ready for school. Then I go back to sleep, and reawake at about 7:30 or 8:00 am to take a shower, have breakfast and go to work. I work in the mornings from 10:00am to 2:00pm, then I return home, and the children are also back from school. After lunch, one of the kids goes to sleep and the elder one goes for tuitions. A nanny then comes to stay with them, as I head back to work from 5:00pm to 9:00pm," she stated.

"After I leave the store at night, I go home to do the cooking, readying the schoolbags of my children for the next day, washing, ironing and other chores at home. I rarely go to bed before 1:30am. Despite all these responsibilities, I don't forget to pray," stressed Salma.

She doesn't recall having any serious problem with either her colleagues or customers. "Sometimes there is a kind of competition between the salesladies, so some of them fight over a customer to reach the target and get a bonus. Some nationalities have conflicts with other nationalities, but in general, I'm friendly with all the staff," she said.

Other salesladies in other stores are not as satisfied as Salma with their jobs. "A friend who also works as a saleslady at one of the popular high-end stores complained that the employer is forcing the saleswomen to cut their hair short and dye it blonde. Another saleslady complained that she was verbally abused several times by customers who commented on her outfits, although the management is satisfied with her style. In our job, we are constantly in contact with the public, so we have to be patient and learn how to ignore negative comments or rude behaviors," concluded Salma.

By Nawara Fattahova