Over the past few decades, Onam has come to be closely associated with extravagant shopping, not just for Onakkodis, but also for electronic home appliances. If advertisements are to be believed, one cannot celebrate a prosperous Onam without purchasing the latest flat-screen TV.
However, a visit to some of the most popular shopping destinations in the city for electronic appliances shows that Malayalis may have found other ways to celebrate. Store managers admit that while the Onam season continues to see a rise in sales, the onslaught of customers this season has been lower compared to the previous years.
Given that around 30 to 40 per cent of the annual sales of these stores happen during the Onam season, one would expect this to be a disappointment for them. However, that does not seem to be the case. “Nowadays, people always have money,” says a Sales Manager at a leading mall. “They don't need to wait for Onam to make purchases,” he said.
While bigger appliances like washing machines see a rise in demand during the season, other goods are sold regularly over the year, implying that the average Malayali has a higher disposable income today.
Special offers
Even those customers who wait for their Onam bonuses to go shopping seem to have become disillusioned with the hoopla during the season, especially the special offers given by companies. “I do keep an eye out for the Onam offers, but most of them are bogus,” says Arun, a civil servant.
Arun’s opinion was shared by an employee of a leading white goods outlet in the capital city, who said that the store advised its regular customers to make purchases before the Onam season, when genuine discounts are offered by the store.
He gave examples of several major brands that have taken to simply advertising the features of their products as 'special offers', and offer as gifts items that are actually not worth the price quoted for them. Customers are often attracted by the freebies, but later realize the scam involved.
Both the dimming sheen of special offers and the rise in year-round purchases seem to be reshaping Onam celebrations.
“People are becoming less interested in buying expensive goods and more interested in spending quality time with their family during the Onam holidays,” the employee said, claiming a rise in the number of Malayali families going on trips during the festive season.
Perhaps Onam is on its way to becoming less of a shopping festival, after all.
