Unlike the past two days, a crowd mustered outside shops of mobile phone, electronics, electrical and hardware which reopened after two months in New Market on Friday.
It was the third day when shops were allowed to reopen. Though the fear of pandemic is in the air, however, the customers and shopkeepers following all safety protocol sported masks and sanitized their hands.
The shopkeepers have placed foot-operated sanitizer dispenser at the entrance of their outlet of shops. The traders as well as their employees were seen wearing face shields, masks and gloves.
A few shops kept thermal scanner to measure the body temperature of a customer, there were some outlets which had got pamphlets mentioning about the dos and don’ts.
Shopkeepers’ request to all the customers to maintain social-distancing norms came to naught at mobile shops, nevertheless.
Free Press talked to some of the shopkeepers to know about the shoppers’ response. Most of the traders said it was usual because of the extreme heat.
Shoppers demanded that shops should remain open from 11am to 7pm instead of 11am to 5pm for five days a week as has happened in Bairagarh.
Some of the customers said they were still in fear. Yet, they cannot do anything other than learning how to live with corona. They visited the market to buy some essential items. Excerpts:
Ramesh Aahuja, owner of Prakash Electronics and Music Centre
The response of customers is good. Around 100 customers have visited the shop on the day and most of them have come to buy new mobiles. I think the timing of opening of shops should be changed due to extreme heat. It should be 11amto 7pm. We have taken as much precaution we can. We kept a bottle of sanitizer at the entrance of the shop which one has to press with foot. We all staffs wearing mask even face shields and don’t allow customers without mask. We deployed one staff to measure body temperature of customers. Some pamphlets regarding precautions were also kept at the shop. We also requested to customers to maintain social distance but they hardly follow. We sanitize mobiles mainly big set which are on display. He also suggested that administration should sanities the customers before entering the market.
Sachin Batra, owner of Batra Cooler shop
We have permission to open the shop twice in a week. Besides, we are providing home delivery after May 7. The response is quite good. Around 10 to 15 customers have visited the shop or contacted us daily to buy coolers and water bottles. As a precaution we kept sanitizer dispenser at entrance of the shop which one has to press with foot. There is no entry of customers without mask. We also maintain physical distancing. We have three floors and we allow three customers with two staff at a time on each floor.
Karan Lalwani, TikTok Mobile shop
The response of customer is poor due to wrong timing. It is extreme heat now who will come for shopping until they have to buy essential items. So, I think, timing should be from 11am to 7pm. Also, people are still in fear because the number of corona patients is increasing daily and also we don’t know when the disease will go. So, we first sanitise the hand of customers and then allow touching those items which they select for buying.
Farhan Khatani, employ, IndiGo Airline
I came from Gandhi Airport with my mother and sister for buying clothes for children. And we also wanted to explore the market as it was closed for a long time. We wore mask and followed hand sanitizing regime. The atmosphere is quite changed. Everyone is maintaining physical distancing which is good.
Meena, homemaker
We came from Kolar with my hubby to buy mobile phone. My phone was getting hanged for long time. We came out of home for the first time after lockdown was enforced. We wore mask and kept sanitizer in bag as precautions. It seems fear is in the air and everyone is suspicious of everyone.
Usha Nisha, a government servant
I work in a government office in New Market. I visited the market to buy some essentials for home. Yes, we still have fear of the pandemic but what to do we will have to live with it until its medicine is made. But we are taking precautions like wearing mask and maintaining physical distancing.
