Bhopal: Dhanteras cheered up local traders on Tuesday as people went on a shopping spree beating the Covid gloom.
The automobile sector expected a sale of over 500 two-wheelers and over 300 four-wheelers from 100 automobile showrooms in city by 11 pm, said Kapil Mansani, a member of automotive traders’ association.
This will boost business in the automobile sector by up to 70 per cent. The turnover of automobiles is expected to reach more than Rs 60 crore. In view of rush of customers, vehicle dealers put up tents in front of their showrooms and parked vehicles in queues outside. The market saw footfalls of many buyers who had pre-booked their vehicles and had come to collect their automobiles.
Woman at a jewellery shop on occasion of Dhanteras in Bhopal on Tuesday | FP
Those buying utensils on Dhanteras had to pay 35% more this year due to hike in the cost of metal, said M Manoj, owner of a utensil shop in New Market. Although the customers are disappointed over price hike, the sale boomed compared to last year, which was obviously dull due to Covid pandemic, lockdowns,” he said. “We are hoping of a sale of about Rs 3 crore to Rs 4 crore by 11 pm,” he added.
“The customers were attracted by many new items in the market. One such item is a multiple kadhai. One can cook dhokla, idli, modak and momos at home in same utensil,” said another utensil shopkeeper.
People shopping on occasion of Dhanteras in Bhopal on Tuesday. | FP
Electronics showroom chain owner Shyam Bansal said two waves of corona have not only changed the lifestyle of people but also their buying pattern. People prefer to watch movies at home on OTT platforms instead of going to cinemas. “This has hiked the sale of large-screen LED televisions and home theatre sets,” he added.
“There has been a good sale of laptops and mobile phones too. Gaming laptops are the new in trend,” he added.
People shopping on occasion of Dhanteras in Bhopal on Tuesday. | FP
Best time : New Market Traders’ Association president Satish Gangrade said business has picked up real good this Dhanteras after two corona waves that shook everyone. The markets have witnessed a crowd like this after two years. “Today (Dhanteras) is the day of utensils, jewellery, electronics, auto and clothes market to prosper. And all of them have seen at least 50% hike in business as compared to last year,” he added.
“The fact that gold prices are going down also brought a huge crowd to shops as they see it as the best time to invest in gold,” he added.
