Jazan's perfume makers - Saudi Gazette

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

UNEMPLOYED women in the southern Saudi province of Jazan refuse to give up. Instead of staying jobless, some of these young women have entered the cosmetics industry by making perfumes and selling them in the local market.

Some of them have become so successful that they have hired a number of assistants to help them in the business, which is highly profitable.

These women who work from home hope one day they would be able to open their own stores in shopping malls and sell their products to a greater number of customers. They work hard day and night because they want to make a decent income to support their families. Some of them market perfumes and cosmetics through social media websites.

Sarah Ahmed started a small business at home, making and selling perfumes. She got successful quickly, thanks to the marketing skills intrinsic in her.

“I learned this trade through self-study and extensive reading. I also took courses. No one supported me when I started my project. I am happy at the volume of sales. I hope the authorities will set up kiosks in malls so that we can use them to sell our products,” she said.

Nora Ahmed, a saleswoman, said most young women who started such projects do not have their physical stores although they have proved to have strong skills in perfume making. She called upon the concerned authorities to support them and build stores where they can sell their products to a high number of consumers.

Ahmed said they could not afford to pay the rent of stores, which are normally very high.

On the other hand, saleswomen working for cosmetics and perfumes stores continued to complain about certain challenges they faced despite the fact that the Ministry of Labor and Social Development has vehemently supported the employment of women. Over the past few years, the ministry has issued numerous decisions to create job opportunities for women in different fields such as shops selling cosmetics, perfumes and women’s clothes.

However, many complain about the long working hours during which they do not get a chance to sit and relax. Employers do not let women salesclerks to take a break during duty hours nor do they provide them with chairs to sit inside stores.

Women who work for perfume and cosmetics stores cannot take two-day off on weekends because employers will not allow them to do that. Besides, most store managers do not treat women with respect and tend to act with arrogance toward them. Some managers make women clean the store and carry heavy boxes while others deduct the salaries of female workers who do not report to work due to medical reasons even if they submit medical reports. Some workers complain that employers extend the working hours during holidays and festive seasons such as Ramadan and Eid when they are forced to work for 12 hours a day.

Amira Mohideen, who works for a perfume and cosmetics store, said, "Working in the cosmetics field is a big opportunity for women because they can acquire extensive experience in this area of business. The only downside is one has to work long hours. We do not get weekly holidays and we cannot go out with our children on weekends. I hope that employers will give female workers a two-day weekend."

Amal Muhammad, who works for a similar store, said the employer provides training courses to female workers and even send them overseas to take courses and learn more about cosmetics. However, she complained about the long working hours and the bad treatment by store managers.

Saudi women working in perfume and cosmetics stores have excelled in this business and proved to have smart and efficient marketing skills.

"These skills are innate in women because there is a strong relationship between women and perfumes. Besides, Saudi women have refined tastes when it comes to perfumes and know exactly which perfume works better for the type of personality of each customer," said Wahj Salim, a saleswoman.

“I have acquired good experience working in this business. Of course, I took several training courses before joining the company I work for. The only downside here is the salary; it is very low. We also have to work for long hours and we get exhausted. But these difficulties and challenges won’t discourage saleswomen from honing their skills and learning new things and hoping for better positions with higher salaries,” Salim said.

Amal Faheed, another saleswoman, said only women could appreciate the refined taste of perfumes as they know how to unlock the secrets of a beautiful smell.

“I like my job as a saleswoman in a perfume store. The employer trained all saleswomen and helped them improve their skills. Female salesclerks have outdone their male counterparts and achieved higher sales for the company. We do face several challenges indeed but the most insurmountable one is transportation. The company should provide us with transportation,” she said.

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