The glitter of gold was not the only thing that marked Dhanteras in the city. From a fancy SUV to a basic Android phone, Calcuttans took home some “dhan” or the other.
The pressure on retailers was amplified because many customers had already paid for the product/s but wanted the delivery on Friday.
Metro takes stock of the Dhanteras rush.
Vroom
Anita Singhania, from Ballygunge Circular Road, went to a showroom off the Science City to take the keys to her brand new black Mercedes-Maybach GLS SUV.
At the time of purchase, the car was in queue. The showroom informed her three days ago that the car had arrived from Pune. “But I insisted that I want the delivery on Dhanteras,” Singhania said. She went to the showroom with son Aanesh.
There was a rush to get the dream vehicles at every dealership in the city. Two-wheelers and four-wheelers and even trucks vanished from showrooms.
The Mercedes showroom along EM Bypass had 21 deliveries lined up for Friday.
Maruti Suzuki, the largest car manufacturer in India, saw a total delivery of around 500 vehicles on Friday from its various showrooms.
Hyundai delivered around 250 vehicles.
“Dhanteras buying starts a few days ahead of the actual date. Customers often make full payments earlier in the month and schedule their delivery for this day,” said a Maruti officer.
Even Tata Motors trucks sold in numbers. “Fleet operators are very particular about celebrating Dhanteras,” said Vinod Agarwal of Lexus Motors. He delivered 22 trucks on Friday.
Mahindra saw a Dhanteras sale of 50 vehicles.
“The demand for automobiles in Calcutta has remained the same for the last few years. The Dhanteras numbers also are the same as last year,” said Sanjay Lamba of Pinnacle Honda.
Dazzle
Space was at a premium at jewellery showrooms. From the traditional jewellery hub in Bowbazar to showrooms on Camac Street, Gariahat and other places, the scene was similar. The crowd started picking up as the day progressed and around 8pm, a few inches were much sought-after inside stores.
Police reported traffic around Gariahat and Ballygunge Phari as cars sought vantage parking near the stores.
Customers at an outlet of Senco Gold and Diamonds on Friday
Shubadip Roy, designated partner, Bengal Jewellery, said heavy jewellery was more in demand than lighter ones. “Big-ticket sale is much more,” he said and excused himself to attend to a long line of customers.
Buying silver and gold on Dhanteras is an age-old tradition.
The wedding season is about to start and several families bought the first wedding ornaments on Dhanteras.
Suvankar Sen, managing director of Senco Gold and Diamonds, said gold chains were among the top picks. Many men are also buying chains, he said.
Among women, sleek jewellery that they can wear every day — mostly to the workplace — was in high demand.
“Diamond, platinum, silver and even costume jewellery are selling fast,” said Annargha Uuttiya Chowdhuury of Anjali Jewellers.
Behala resident Kajari Mitra, who came to buy earrings for herself and her six-year-old daughter, waited close to two hours at a Gariahat showroom in the afternoon. “The sales staff were stretched,” she said.
Hello festivities
More than one store selling consumer durables had witnessed a lean phase in the run-up to Dhanteras. On Friday, the scene was different.
Around 5pm, the sales personnel at a store in Dalhousie were so busy that they barely had time to talk to anyone other than prospective
buyers.
The majority of the staff were busy showing some product to a visitor. The billing counter had a constant
queue.
Susovan Maity, who works at the Dalhousie branch of a financial services company, came to buy a new phone.
“It is very basic. But my wife insisted that I bought it today,” said Maity, who lives in Garia.
A store on Syed Amir Ali Avenue near Park Circus sold around 20 TV sets on Friday, the most on a single day since August 15 this year.
Manoj Khosla, co-founder of Khosla Electronics, said: “There has been a late surge in demand. 55-inch TV sets are among the top picks. Strange as it may sound, we have sold a good number of air-conditioners as well,” he said.
Additional reporting by Monalisa Chaudhuri