America Calling

by Geraden

I don't think I ever told you about the time (it was last year now) that I had a call on my mobile. Nothing unusual in that, except that the number was an international one. I recognised the +1 prefix as coming from the USA. I said hello, and a female voice with a transatlantic accent asked if she could speak to Mrs. B. I was a bit surprised, as my wife does not usually get calls on my mobile, and without thinking or asking who it was, I handed the mobile over to her. My wife said hello into it. Then, looking in my direction she said, "It is Silkies tights." Addressing the phone again, she added, "You want to speak to my husband; he buys the tights in this house."

She said this in front of her mother who was then staying with us. So far as I know, mum in law did not know about my interest in tights. I suppose she does now, though she said nothing. I had been wearing nude sheers and shorts around the house, but I reckoned that she would not notice. In any case at 80+ her sight is not as perfect as it used to be.

So my wife handed the phone back to me, and I left the room where they were, so that I could take the call with some privacy. The woman on the other end seemed a little fazed by the turn of events and stumbled over her script several times, though she recovered each time. She explained to me who Silkies were, and I told her that I knew already, having dealt with their UK branch for many years. She asked if I was satisfied with their products and I said yes. She explained that Silkies were offering some higher grade compression tights and knee highs on an introductory offer. These had twice the compression of ordinary support hosiery, and were not available on the Silkies website yet. I could have two pairs of tights for around £16.00. I thanked her and said that I was ok for tights at the moment! Which happens to be true, because I must have more than 60 unopened packets.

I wanted to ask the caller if she was uncomfortable talking to a man about tights, but I thought that might upset her. I wondered what percentage of Silkies customers were men - other online hosiery suppliers have reported very high percentages. However these companies post their orders in plain packages, whereas Silkies packaging advertises the contents in a very noticeable way. It is not so much that the packaging advertises that it is hosiery, but that it reinforces a wholly female-orientated marketing strategy.

The caller finished by giving me the address of the Silkies website. (I missed a trick by not giving her the address of this site or my own website!)

Since then my mother in law seems to have forgotten about the tights - at least they have never been a subject for discussion between us. I am sure that she (like her daughter) would disapprove, though!