Ideal time for festive shopping

ABUNDANT PROFIT

Today, festivals not only mean a much-awaited holiday and a time to bond with family and friends, they have become synonymous with shopping as well. Shops in the City have taken this cue and capitalised on this by having all sorts of festive sales. Take a walk on any street in Bangalore and you will notice that every second shop has a festival sale going on. The shopkeepers say this is the best time to make maximum sales as the customers feel these offers give them a good bargain. Metrolife spoke to a cross-section of the public to find out how they are making use of this festive season.

This month has seen the celebrations of Ramzan and Id and many festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi and Dasara are coming up. For many, this season is the ideal time to go shopping. Says Nirupama, a housewife, “Whenever there is a festival coming up, we usually make big purchases for family and friends. So it is more practical for us to go to a place that has a good offer.”

Many stores offer discounts even upto 60-70 per cent and exchange offers on apparels, durables and electronic goods like mobile phones, refrigerators etc. The shopkeepers feel that because of the festive fervour, it is the perfect time to rake in the moolah too. Amrit, who has a boutique store in Indiranagar says, “The number of customers coming to us increases when we have a special discount offer. It is more psychological than anything. The fact that a place has an offer for the festival that a customer is celebrating is very gratifying in itself.” The point of such offers, he mentions, is to attract both existing and new customers.

Not only do the shopkeepers benefit from this, but the customers also seem to be making good use of the opportunity. With almost every shop outdoing the other with attractive offers, the customers are spoilt for choice. However, many a time, there are limited period offers. Reiterating this, Sneha Poovanna, an avid shopper, points out that the sales are good only till stocks last. “The items go off the shelves like hot cakes. So in order to get what you want, you need to be there as soon as the sale starts,” she avers.

Besides this, getting what you want is a tough task in itself. In some cases, there are even hidden conditions which you come to know of only after going to the store, which can be very disheartening. Says Aditi, who runs an event management firm, “What I can say from experience is that you do not get what you actually want at such sales. For instance, if you are going shopping for clothes, your size may not be available. Sometimes, there are even conditions like you have to buy something over Rs 2000 to avail the offer.”

However, as many say, the point of any festive sale is to help customers shop till they drop without drilling a hole in the pocket. At the same time, it is important to read the fine print before making the next trip to the nearest store.