Girls Take On Boys On The Shop-Floor
Girls Take On Boys On The Shop-Floor
It was a normal shopping outing for Kanta, 21. She had gone to Big Bazaar retail store at Gopalpura mode. But she never thought that her shopping day would turn out to be a defining moment in life. Inside the multi-brand retail outlet, she saw girls of her age working shoulder to shoulder with boys. The atmosphere was friendly, and fun was also a part of the day-long hard work.
Smartly dressed in jeans and Tee-shirts that formed part of the Big Bazaar uniform, girls in their twenties, equally the number of boys, were busy loading and unloading cart trolleys filled to the brim with wheat sacks, packaged ration and branded grocery items.
It has been more than a year, in September 2013, since Kanta went to the HR manager and got recruited as a team member. After some weeks on-the-job-training, Kanta is very much a part of the Big Bazaar team, spending nine hours a day in a set up that used to be the boys’ bastion.
Today, she has ambitions and wants to climb the ladder in her career. “I am saving 50% of the money I get as salary every month. This gives me an opportunity to spend for my MA which I am currently doing privately. I want career growth. If opportunities for building a better career come in the retail sector, I will be more than happy. But I keep my options open,” said Kanta in an interview to Business Rankers.
But Kanta is not alone. The girls of the new generation also include the likes of Manisha Gurgani, who has been working in Big Bazaar for last four years. The slim and smart looking girl from Jaipur is a bundle of energy and stands out for her fearless attitude. Hailing from a modest background, Manisha, 21, took to the profession to support her family. Financial compulsions many a time work as a negative force in one’s life. But Manisha has turned that into one of her strengths. That has made her courageous and confident.
“The job has given me a reason to be happy. But more importantly, it has given me a dream to think about my future which I could not have done sitting at home. I want to grow in life,” said Manisha.
These young girls define a new confident generation that has broken many social barriers and taboos. They are independent, self-reliant and have a dream of their own. The increasing spread of modern retail has created a large number of such opportunities and the young girls are finding a platform to live life on their own terms.
Over the past five years, the Pink City has been attracting top retailers not only from the country but also from the multi-national companies. It is one of the few cities which houses all the top retailers, many of whom operate from big malls like World Trade Park, Pink Square Mall, Trident Mall, Big Bazaar, Spencer’s and host of others.
Besides, Jaipur is also becoming a hub for many back-end ventures by like likes of Metro Cash and Carry. Recently, Amazon, the global e-commerce company decided to open a warehouse in Jaipur to expand its footprint in the country. The growth of retail sector is turning out to be a boon not only for the consumers but also for the youth as it generates large number of employment opportunities.
