I spent many years behind a counter.
A makeup counter, a fashion counter, a perfume counter.
And every time, the scene was the same:
someone would walk in, point at something, and then wait to be understood.
But few knew, or know, how to say what they really want.
🎭 “I need a foundation.”
No. You need a new face to face the day.
👗 “I’m looking for a dress for a wedding.”
No. You’re looking for a way to exist in the photo without feeling out of place.
💼 “I need a perfume for work.”
No. You want to leave a trail that says “I’m here too” when they ignore you.
These are not sales.
They are silent interviews.
And I, as a sales assistant, had to learn to listen to the words that were left unsaid.
Over time, I realized that people:
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don’t know what they want
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don’t know how they feel
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don’t know how to say it
And yet they come to you. And they expect you to translate them.
👂 The sale is just a pretext
When you get used to reading between the lines, you see everything:
embarrassment, anger, nostalgia, the fear of not being liked.
The customer who wants lipstick doesn’t want color:
she wants legitimacy.
The manager who is looking for an elegant perfume
is looking for forgiveness for an identity built by force.
🎯 I learned to ask questions.
Real questions. Not “What are you looking for?”
But:
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“How do you want to feel when you leave here?”
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“Who do you want to convince today?”
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“What is missing when you look in the mirror?”
And I discovered that no one knows the answer right away.
But when they do, the sale is no longer necessary.
Something bigger happens.
They feel seen. And they finally see themselves too.
✍️ This is where it all begins
SRDN Society was born behind a counter.
From the need to create a space where people can learn to speak to one another.
With words, with voice, with presence.
Not just to buy, but to understand who they are.
Because behind every customer is a person who has forgotten how to tell their story.
And behind every attentive sales assistant is a potential author.
One who has seen society from below, and has learned to translate it.