SHILLONG: Predictably, Puja shopping has so far been a low-key affair in Shillong? A visit to the city’s posh shopping areas – Police Bazar & G.S. Road – on Sunday revealed that dealers in apparels, sarees or footwear have the same story to tell – sales this year have slumped to 30% of normal. Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, the festive spirit is palpably missing this time around.
Long before coronavirus crippled life in general, online shopping had already made a big dent in the local market. Add to it, the panic over coronavirus and declining buying power of average families owing to lockdown.
With Durga Puja barely a week away, while taking a walk around Police Bazar and G.S. Road what strikes the eyes the most is the lack of customers.
Many of the shop owners say how they can count the number of customers coming to their shops. And the common refrain is business has slumped to a new low.
Sukanta Pal, owner of Raj Bhandar, said that customers don’t venture out owing to communication issues. He recounts how many of them refuse to write down their names on the register because of fear and stigma associated with Covid-19.
When asked about new sarees for the festive season, he recounted how there has been a 10% flow of products from other states. Owing to a shortage of labour force, production of fancy sarees has been impacted. Under normal circumstances, the flow of new sarees is above 60%. Customers usually shop between 3 and 6 PM. Post 7 PM, there are no customers.
Harish Mordani of Uncle’s Shop claimed that business was down by 60 – 70%. They do not usually have a separate segment for the Puja as men don’t shop as much as women and children. Sales happen in the last moment, adding how the shop caters mostly to men.
Bharat Mordani of Mohni’s has said that business has dropped by 70%. Sales have been around 20-30% because production is low. Compared to previous years, the flow of new clothes has been low because the labour force has been hit hard. Most of the shopping, he added, is for the children.
One does not need to enter the shops to see that most shopkeepers spend time surfing the internet on their phones or speaking to the salesmen/women, sipping on tea, waiting for customers to enter their shops. In some shops, two or three people can be seen buying. Then there are customers who do window shopping. When asked to share their opinion, most customers were reluctant to talk about their experience. Some flatly refused to comment on the current situation.
Most of the shopkeepers speak about how the pandemic has severely affected the purchasing power of most people.
Many agree how there will be no pandals this year, and that has also made customers choose not to spend during the festival.
Partho Das, who works as the store manager of Planet Fashion has shared an interesting information on how restrictions have had an impact on the business for Durga Puja in Police Bazar area, compared to Laitumkhrah where restrictions are less.
When asked whether this is because Laitumkhrah is known more for its cafes than boutique stores/shops, he speculated, that “may be the reason”. He further said how the number system, followed by the odd-even rule makes the customer reluctant to go out for shopping.
Sushil Agarwal, owner of Planet Fashion has said how the store is high end and the impact of Covid-19 has been more. “People have no money”, he said. When asked about the current restrictions, he feels there should be a healthy balance between focusing on hygiene and a gradual easing of restrictions. Where the flow of new products is concerned, it has been around 20 -25%, reason being the issue of communication and labour force.
Anindita Khan of Exotica, known for its jewellery and beauty products, said how sale has been affected severely. No new products have come this year because of the pandemic. When asked to provide an average number, she said that sale has been about 20 – 30%. Under normal circumstances, it’s more than 60%. She too has mentioned how customers don’t want to sign their names on a register.
Pradip Pal, store manager of Bijoya, has said that very few people come to the store. Business is down by 80%. When asked if any customer had visited the shop on Suday, at the time of this short interview, he answered in the negative. On an average, only 4-5 people come to the store, he mentioned.
Most shop owners/keepers have mentioned communication issue as a reason why customers don’t want to venture out. They agree that many customers don’t own personal vehicles and are reluctant to use public transport. Under normal circumstances, most customers venture out on Sundays, but even that has stopped in the light of the “new normal”. Narayan and Bhagwan Hemnani of Saree Palace mentioned that “people are afraid to come out”. They further said how business is down by 60-70%. Further enquiry on whether fancy sarees have come to their shops for the festive season, Narayan Hemnani said that the flow is about 25-30%, and proceeded to show silk sarees from South India and fancy sarees that come from Gujarat. When asked about how the government is fighting the pandemic, he said that focus has to be on hygiene but not at the cost of restrictions, which he feels, must be there. He said, “Nothing is more important than life. Business can be built again.” Overall, he is happy with how Meghalaya is combating the Covid-19 situation. He stressed on how the number of customers entering the shop can be counted.
An interesting trend where Durga Puja in 2020 is concerned: earlier customers would shop for an entire day, now they purchase post lunch between 2-6 PM. Most of the shopkeepers interviewed on Sunday mentioned this significant change in customer psychology/behaviour.
Bhimesh Jatiani of Roopkala mentioned that most of their clothes are for tailoring purposes and specifically for weddings, a reason why festival shopping in pandemic has not been severely hit, compared to other shops in Shillong. They are short on labour. Hardly a handful of customers are purchasing these days. Most of the shopping is done for wives and children. Most of their products come from Gujarat and Maharashtra, and when asked whether new products have come, he said that flow is 20%, compared to previous years. Most of their customers come on Saturdays and that has been hit hard, thanks to the coronavirus.
Where government intervention is concerned, most of the shopkeepers agreed that it was doing good work and how cases were low compared to the other parts of the country. Most agree that a healthy balance has to be maintained between having guidelines/restrictions/protocols and focusing on health and hygiene.
Footwear brands like Bata, Metro Shoes and Reliance Trends had no different story to tell. Rupak Sharma, the store manager of Bata, said that there had been a drop in distribution of new products. Normally, it is above 70% but this year, it has been around 40%. Customers don’t come and hardly 10-15 people come every day. The odd-even rule has had a huge impact on sales this year. When asked if any discounts are there, he said that there is a festival season discount of 20% on all shoes. It’s different from the other available discount of 30% on men’s shoes and sandals that has been around since July of this year. The store manager of Metro Shoes, Mufid Ansari, has said that business is down by 65% this year. On an everyday basis, 20-25 customers have come to the store in the month of October. He stressed on how everything is connected: odd-even rule, coupled with little to no purchasing power of customers and restrictions have collectively affected communication. People who do not own private vehicles are dependent on public transport, adding how taxi drivers charge too much money. When asked if any discounts are there, he said that there is no special festival discount this year.
A few customers were seen in Reliance Trends; however, most of them refused to share their personal opinion or comment on the current situation. A young man accompanied by his wife and little son refused to give his name but mentioned how fear of the virus had made them reluctant to come out and shop. He stressed on how he has to depend on public transport. He said that he has to keep the well-being and hygiene of his family in mind. The departmental manager of the store, Binod Sharma mentioned how customers who work in the Army usually come to shop on Sundays and their presence is significantly less this year because of Covid-19. He added that customer turnaround in any year was calculated by comparing it with the previous year. To quote him, “Around 1500 – 2000 customers came to shop before Durga Puja in 2019 per day. This year, it has gone down to 350 – 400 customers on an average basis”. He disclosed that government protocols were being followed in the store. He also added that while festival season new products had come, they maintained a 50% man-power that works on a rotation basis. Further, festive season discounts and coupons can be availed. 50% discounts are available on clothes from DNMX and Avaasa, both of which are Reliance brands. Three offers are also being given on bills that exceed a certain amount of money. For example, on a bill above Rs 3499 purchase, a casserole is being given at Rs 200, whose original price is Rs 1250. Another offer is giving away a dinner set at Rs 299.
Neil Jatiani, owner of Style Craft, has mentioned how the store caters mostly to men and sales happen during weddings and Christmas. Even if customers do not purchase much now, regular customers come and enquire about clothes, mostly for tailoring purposes. To quote him, “Most of the shopkeepers are not expecting so much because of shortage of money”. He stressed on how the pandemic has caused people to believe in rumours, when asked if the issue of communication has been a problem where customers are concerned. On further enquiry about the flow of new products, he said that smaller products come from Guwahati in the current situation but they purchase materials directly from the mills located in Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai, among others. Products are purchased from Arrow and Raymonds directly through distributors. Another interesting development has been virus-free cloth. Brands like OCM, for instance, have come out with such cloth, even though the owner has not purchased the same.
The market has so far been down but whether last minute shopping spree would manifest this week remains to be seen. Indeed, all shopowners are hoping against hope.