Not so enthusiastic shoppers

High Price

With Ganesha Chaturthi around the corner, market places are more colourful and vibrant than they normally are.

However, all is not well on the financial front. People have started complaining about the rising prices, especially how clothes have become too expensive to purchase.

Twenty-five-year-old Anusha Rao has been observing how inflation has impacted shoppers’ enthusiasm as well.

“The clothes are getting costlier by the year. People have told me that you get clothes for cheaper rates at places like Chikpet and Avenue Road. But then, you also stand the risk of getting fleeced unless you know the shop keepers very well,” shares Anusha.

“I think most people just buy from reputed shops in Jayanagar or Gandhi Bazaar. Also, since Gowri-Ganesha is celebrated in all grandeur here, people can’t help but shell out those extra bucks for the new clothes!” she adds.

She feels that it is ridiculous that the same trend even applies to the items one
offers the god out of devotion.

 “Some time ago, my mother and I would get a bag full of fresh fruits and flowers, all for Rs 500. Now, the same thing costs around Rs 2,000!

We only pay because of the festive spirit,” she says.

There are others who plan their expenditure on new clothes well in advance and don’t face an issue when the time to spend arrives.

“We buy clothes for festivals every year, and Ganesha Chaturthi is obviously
included. Considering that the prices have escalated, we try and do our shopping
during the festival sales that happen every season.

I feel that buying clothes twice or thrice a year can be planned by keeping money aside
for such expenditure,” says Prathibha Rajesh, a 42-year-old homemaker.

“Also, we don’t always have to buy from big stores. In our locality (Malleswaram),
there are shops selling clothes from lower ranges to even the classiest brands,” she adds.

There is no dearth of places to do the shopping, with each locality having its own small market to buy what one needs.

 From Malleswaram on one side to Jayanagar on the other, there are umpteen shops to choose from, depending on what one’s budget allows.

For ‘Deepam Silks’, sales have definitely seen a drop.

 “There’s lesser hype around the festival in the recent years than there used to be and so, we get fewer customers compared to earlier. The ones who do come opt for traditional kanjivaram saris made of handloom silks,” notes Neena D, inventory manager.

“The problem is that the market itself is slow worldwide and we have not been spared.

Take the example of kanjivaram zari saris. Since the price of gold has gone up, the price of such saris, have also increased. The expense of that unfortunately has to be borne by the end-user,” she concludes.