Time your shopping to perfection

Timing is everything. No one knows that more than someone who plans an auspicious beginning in everything they do. Be it marriage, buying a new house or vehicle, or even shopping for a festival. Astrological charts are consulted and it’s precisely at the time noted will the event be allowed to unfold. Such is the power of timing and with Dhanteras coming soon, it is not surprising to see people planning their purchases around the day reserved for the worship of Goddess Lakshmi.

K Niranjan agrees on the timing considering he has planned the delivery of his new car on Dhanteras. “I have requested the showroom to allow me to take the delivery on Dhanteras which they have agreed,” he said. The sales manager of the store remarked that Niranjan’s not an isolated case and this has been the request from quite a few of their customers. “We are quite busy on the day,” he said.

It’s not just vehicles. Homemaker Sarmishta Reddy has planned the delivery of her custom-made jewellery on Dhanteras. “In fact, knowing that I am so particular, the jeweller has actually asked me to come a few days earlier to check if the jewellery is fine so that he can give it to me on Dhanteras day,” she said. Most jewellery stores as well as jewellers prefer that their customers come a week before for shopping and then collect the jewellery on the day. “It is to the advantage of the customer,” one of the local jewellers said.

Most of the home appliances stores are bracing for a peak in demand on the day of Dhanteras. Since it is a Friday, the start of the Diwali weekend, there will be a shopping rush. Anirudh Anand, a gadgets aficionado, said he has earmarked a few upgrades, including his laptop, for Dhanteras day. He makes it a point to get such upgrades around Dhanteras. “I always visit the store on Dhanteras and pay for the gadget I buy and personally bring it home,” he said, deciding to do away the online shopping route. “I like to hold the gadget I want to buy beforehand and get a feel of it.” This year he plans to upgrade his phone, something he hasn’t done in a couple of years.

Once the purchase is done, getting it home or getting it delivered home on Dhanteras may require some precise planning. Kavitha Hegde, who has already ordered a new sofa set from a branded store, said, “You must explain what you want beforehand to the store manager and follow it up over phone. I will still call the store on Dhanteras to ensure that the sofa set will be delivered on the day at the time I have chosen. It seems like a simple thing to do but getting the delivery on the day you want and at the time you wish can get messy, thanks to the delivery schedule of the store as well as the traffic situation.”

So, for all shoppers who have set up the delivery of their new purchases on Dhanteras, Hegde offers a word of caution. “Make sure that you are in touch with the store and follow it up without losing your cool.”

This Dhanteras I plan to surprise my loved ones with carefully-selected gifts that reflect their unique personality and interests. From elegant traditional attire for the family to exquisite jewellery for close friends I want to add a touch of warmth and happiness to their celebrations.
Nikhitha Devadiga  
Model