Dussehra is shop- till-you-drop season

With Dussehra around, it is shopping time for all

As the Dussehra festivities are now on, shopping is the best part. Though the citizens, young and old, are ready to go on a purchasing spree, the skies have opened up at the most inopportune time which dampened the spirit of the traders to make a fast buck.

Festival shopping spree witnessed a dip in the past few days as most city folks preferred to stay indoors. Though there was a 20 per cent increase in sales in the wholesale market, the business in the retail market, however, is stated to have come down by 30 per cent compared to the corresponding period last year.

No doubt, rain has its own impact on the prospective buyers, with retail outlets giving tempting offers they could hardly stay at home watching the busy market scenes zooming on their TV sets. To attract the city folk and to meet the ever increasing demand, new shops in the name of malls have come up at several places in the Twin Cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

Irrespective of the price tag, the denizens vie with one another to storm various market places, what with each shop showcasing a variety of designs to attract the customers. Sensing the demand and variety of tastes of the Hyderabadis, traders from other States too have opened their malls in the city with attractive offers and in house facilities.

Music, clothes, food and Pooja items are much in demand during Navaratri season. “We wonder whether these malls are really useful for us or making holes in our pocket. Since so many items are sold under one roof, at times we tend to buy an item which is either of no use for us or an ancillary,” felt some customers.

The tricks of the trade are so smart that even a tight-fisted person is getting lured thus spending money, most of the time unnecessarily. “During the Navratri Pooja, clothes and pooja items are in great demand,” agree the mall owners.

Men, women and children, whoever it may be, these shops have everything to offer. You name it you have it under a single roof. From Dhandiya music to a variety of food items, indoor games and what not, to attract all age groups.

The sale of flowers and fruits has gone up despite steep hike in their prices. As per the florists in the city, the sale of flowers has shot up by around 200 per cent. "The increase in the price of flowers is not deterring people to purchase it. Earlier the price of marigold was Rs 30 per kg, which has now gone up to Rs 70 a kg. Flowers like rose, and marigold are high in demand," Raju, a fruit and flower distributor from Mehdipatnam Rythu Bazaar said.

Fruits are best which we offer to the Goddess during Navarathri. Also these are distributed as Prasadam and offered to the deities. Some people consume only fruits during fasting, and hence, this is a golden period for fruit vendors. "The demand for fruits has increased considerably as they are an important part of Pooja rituals,” agreed a vendor.

Customers should not be lured away by these buzzing malls ending up with little or no money. 

A festival is a celebration of joy and one should be very much aware of what is needed and should plan the purchasing much in advance than after reaching the market.

No matter what ... It is our culture that imbibes us to celebrate the festivals irrespective of affordability and happiness sharing is the prime motto.

Wishing everyone a very Happy Dussera..

Bhargavi@ Sakshipost