Sea of people on streets, but sales see slump

Customers upset over spike in price of festival items; cracker prices up by 5%-15% mainly due to drop in production

- PRAVEENA S A & NIMISHA S PRADEEP

SHIMMERING fabrics, earthen lamps and an assortment of crackers have drawn in eager customers to streets in the city for Deepavali shopping. However, retailers are concerned over lagging sales with customers slamming the spike in price of festive items.

Despite being the last Sunday before Deepavali, Sowcarpet, one of the popular spots for shopping in the city, witnessed only a modest crowd until 2 pm, after which the footfall picked up gradually.

"Festive shopping has just started, and this will continue until Pongal," a shopper told TNIE. "Prices have gone up so much that we cannot afford to buy most items. We used to get two large bags of crackers for ₹7,500, but now even a single bag costs us around ₹6,000," she added.

Likewise, at NSC Bose Road, a cracker retailer explained that due to a drop in production of crackers, prices have increased by 5%-15%.