As we neared the shop Sister Obonye told us to wait around the corner while she went in to inquired about dress prices. She explained that frequently shop owners raise the price when they see a white person because they think they have more money. After she determined the prices she came back out and took us into the shop. The shop is very small and focuses completely on high-quality traditional women's clothing. The dresses are custom made for the shop.
Sister Rands was very concerned about finding a dress that would fit her because she is not of "traditional build". In fact, they only showed her one dress her size. She did not particularly like the one she was shown and asked the clerks if they had any other dresses in her size. They said no but then they looked through a pile of dresses by the counter and found one that had been made for another customer and after some discussion and checking in a book decided that she could buy that dress if she liked it. Sister Rands tried it on and quickly decided she wanted the dress so they took the other customer's name off the dress and the sale was made.
She also bought a traditional blanket which the older women of Botswana wear to weddings and funerals. After paying for the dress and blanket the clerks said, "Oh, you also need a pin for the blanket." So, we also purchased a large safety-type pin for two pula. The two young clerks seemed pleased that Sister Rands would be buying a dress and were very helpful.
Shopping with Sister Obonye was one of our delightful experiences in Botswana. We really appreciated her taking us shopping. We definitely would not have had as fun an experience without her and would not have found such a nice dress.
No comments:
Post a Comment