Apart from crowded shops and traffic jams, pre-Diwali shopping this year comes with an added burden for many. With the festival falling on October 30, end-of-the-month financial woes have hit shoppers.
Customers are opting to shop from local markets instead of malls. Pravesh Chhabra, a resident of Vaishali in Ghaziabad, said that she changed her shopping habits this year. “I bought decorative material from roadside shops. I never thought I would be buying from these shops, but there was limited cash this year. I used to spend Rs.2,000 at malls, but the same products were for Rs.400-Rs.500 at the smaller shops,” said Ms. Chhabra.
Shopkeepers say budget-conscious customers are not only buying goods from local shops, but are also bargaining harder.
‘Boycotting all goods’
“People are not only boycotting Chinese goods, they are boycotting all goods. They do not have a lot of money to spend on lights or firecrackers after paying all their bills. We can’t even blame anyone for this as it is out of their control,” said Madan Singh, who was selling diyas in Vaishali.
Others have decided to reprioritise their needs. Instead of buying expensive branded gifts, customers are opting for more affordable or generic products. Some have decided to skip big-ticket expenses like painting or renovating their homes.
“I used to change the curtains in my house every year. However this year I feel they are all right. Instead of buying scented candles, I have decided that hand-made diyas look better,” said Seema Singh, while shopping in Indirapuram.
Not everyone has been hit by the month-end cash-crunch, however. Some companies have paid employees their salaries a few days earlier than usual, so Diwali celebrations are not affected.
(The writer is an intern with The Hindu )
With Diwali falling
at the end of the month, bank accounts are running low and shoppers are worried
