UAE | Leisure

How salespeople snag deals at DSF

The malls are their turf, but they’re often too busy to leave their shops

By Janice Ponce de Leon, Staff Reporter
Published: 14:54 January 8, 2013

Image Credit: Atiq-Ur-Rehman/Gulf News
Dancers from Africa perfom during the DSF on Al Seef Street.

Dubai: With the influx of shoppers and tourists during the annual Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), salespeople are always on their toes entertaining shoppers’ queries.

And many have devised ways in order to snag the best deals even at work to ensure they don’t miss out on the shopping extravaganza themselves.

Gulf News spoke to some retail salespeople to see how they manage to take advantage of the good bargains at this year’s DSF while on duty.

“We are always busy especially when there’s a sale like DSF. So we can only do our own shopping after our duty. In my case, that’s after 7pm,” Ameer Athanikkal, 25, from Kerala, India, said.

Athanikkal said having friends at other shops helps.

“Sometimes in big supermarkets like Carrefour they have one to two-hour promotions on, say, laptops. So our friends there will call us and ask if we want to buy there,” Athanikkal added.

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Since shopping malls are their turf, salespeople get the most advantage, according to Filipino salesman Ramir Tumamak, who mans a shop that sells gadgets.

“We have the first dibs at the good deals as our friends always inform us the night before. That’s our advantage as salespeople. Shopping malls are our territory,” Tumamak, 25, said.

If they can’t leave their shop, they exchange pictures of the items they like through their phones, according to Roma Buendia, who sells jewellery at a kiosk at The Dubai Mall.

“We inform each other if we have good deals. We take a picture of the item and send it through BBM (Blackberry Messenger). If I like it, then my friend will buy it on my behalf,” she said.

For Indian expatriate Askar Ali, 25, checking and comparing prices in shops in the mall where he works is a must.

“During my break, which is an hour, I just roam around the mall to look for good deals. I’m crazy about new things be it gadgets, electronics, and fashion accessories,” Ali, 25, who hails from the south Indian state of Karnataka, said.

Having worked in Dubai for only six months, Ali said this is his first DSF, but he has already ticked off a few things on his shopping list.

“This DSF, I have already bought my sister and mum a bicycle and sandals. But as for my gift for myself, once I know where the cheapest iPhone is, that’s the only time I’ll buy,” Ali said.

Now in its 18th year, DSF opened on January 3 and will run until February 3.