Deep has just finished a sumptuous lunch and now planning to see the repeat telecast of one of the Euro 2004 semi-finals. He knows that he won’t last till half time, but he is not complaining — ah, an afternoon siesta on a rare Saturday that his boss has not asked him to come to office.

‘Superboss’ Mou, of course, has other ideas. Deep’s best friend is getting married next week. She has to go to Camac Street, to buy them a gift. And Deep has to come along. So, Deep must drive Mou in their new Zen to her destination of choice and for the next hour-and-a-half be resigned to following her around with a glum face. Deep, in case you didn’t notice, does not enjoy shopping.

This is, as they say these days, ghar ghar ki kahani. I know of very few men who enjoy shopping and fewer women who do not insist on their husbands accompanying them to Pantaloons and Shoppers’ Stops. It was much worse earlier. Spending Saturday afternoons in jam-packed Vardaan or not so air-conditioned AC market was simply hell.

Retailing is big in Calcutta. Shopping malls are now nearly as good as those in small towns of America. Many more are due to come soon. They promise to match Macy’s of New York. The whole of the Bypass, they threaten, will become a shopper’s paradise. This journey of the retailing industry from Shyambazar to Shoppers’ Stop is based on a simple platform. Women love shopping. If you make it even more pleasurable, they will spend even more time in your outlet and the more time they spend more are your chances of making the big bucks.

Koel Mullick on a shopping spree: woman’s world

The attempt is to make it as comfortable for them as possible. After all, the competition is TV soaps watched in the comforts of one’s bedroom. So the facilities in these malls have to be nothing short of fantastic — hassle-free parking, easy to push trolleys, touch-and-feel experience of the wares on open shelves, an unobtrusive sales assistant ever ready to help.

To borrow a term of media planning, the idea is to create more OTS (opportunities to see). Mathematically that is number of footfalls multiplied by the average number of hours spent. To ensure maximum OTS, the idea is to keep the lady happy and comfortable.

The interesting question that an organisation called Husbands Anonymous would like to ask is why aren’t the outlets doing something about the recalcitrant husbands. Aren’t you also losing precious shopping hours? How about a TV corner to watch the replay of a Euro semi-final? Or a reading room with magazines?

The point is beyond debate: make the husband a willing escort and footfalls of the wives will certainly get a boost. Believe me, this is actually an SOS signal sent out in the guise of marketing wisdom.