Female Shop Attendants

Bism Illah wa as salaamu alaykum.

After much lobbying, it was finally approved for women to staff ladies lingerie shops, and various other shops that are mainly frequented by women. This means that they will be only staffed by women, as there cannot be a male attendant in the same shop at the same time as the woman attendant. The implications of this were not fully considered by us, but hubby had a taste of it the other day when we went shopping and wanted to go to The Body Shop, which sells ranges of body care products and fragrances for both women and men. He found he could not enter because it was staffed by a woman. The sign said, "families only," which means women or women with their mahrem.

This led to us wondering how a man could get a gift for his wife or purchase something for himself in such a situation. It is certainly nice for women to be able to go and buy underwear, etc. in a comfortable and halal environment, but this has made us wonder how many other shops will end up banning male customers if they aren't accompanied by a female. It will limit business if it extends to all womens' clothing shops, perfume shops, etc. It will be interesting to watch and see how it all works out, in shaa Allah.

The Real Scoop

Bism Illah wa as salaamu alaykum wa RahmatUllahi wa Barakatuh.

So many things about Saudi Arabia in general and the real issues and opinions held here can be found in the online newspapers. It is not always pleasant or encouraging reading, but it is very real and will put things in a better perspective for those who are seriously seeking to come here. The more you know about the reality of a place, the better prepared you are for living in it.

Saudi Gazette

Arab News

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