Things are certainly not as rosy as before the pandemic, but the buzz in the retail market is that the Puja shopping scene is a tad better than in 2020. With two vaccines down, people are feeling braver to visit malls and sari fairs and look forward to celebrating the festive season in — if not five — at least one new new outfit.
Road to recovery
“It seems people have made huge savings all through the pandemic and are now out to make up for their lost share of fun,” says Meghna Rathi, manager of City Centre’s FabIndia branch. “We were surprised but we saw customers coming in for Puja shopping since August this year. It never starts this early. It was as if they wanted to shop before another lockdown gets called.”
Not just the Pujas, Rathi says people are buying heavy silk outfits for the wedding season too. “The fear factor is gone. People are wearing masks and using sanitisers but don’t plan on social distancing any more. They are buying new clothes and making plans to meet everyone.”
Puja shopping at Mabesha in BE Block started as early as July. “Before that, people were coming for saris in the Rs 700 to 1,000 range, for gifting to bereaved families as so many had died in the second wave,” says proprietor Keka Paul. “But now price is not a factor. People are coming from all of north Calcutta and returning with soft cotton, handloom, tussar, chanderi and what not! Now three to four groups of women are coming at a time. This is a huge morale booster compared to the last Pujas.”
Madam, the 30-year-old tailoring unit in AD Block, has been so swamped with orders for blouses that they have had to stop taking orders by the third week of August. “We weren’t expecting this,” says Indrani Saha, who runs the unit. “V-necks, corset cuts and the like are very popular but we are now taking orders for Diwali. People are venturing out after double vaccines and business is almost back to pre-pandemic times.
Long way to go
A customer checks out children’s clothes at Lil Champs in City Centre. Brinda Sarkar
Not all segments of the industry are raking in the moolah. Fabulous Fashions, in City Centre, prides itself on its club wear but with discos shut and parties rare, what incentives do customers have to stock up?
“We get our clothes from China and Bangkok but now flights from there have to be routed through the diametrically opposite city of Dubai. That shoots up expenses needlessly,” says Shahid Nawaz. “Even then, we would have made an effort if there was genuine demand from the market. But people are only attending small family gatherings now and how much can they dress up for that?”
More than clothes, he says accessories such as corset belts and coloured sunglasses are doing decent business.
Heena Jalan, a shopper from New Town, is craving to see new collections on racks. “Festive shopping has not caught on this year as most brands are still selling their pre-lockdown stocks. They don’t have anything fresh. Most stores are still struggling to get rid of earlier stocks.” Jalan was spotted at City Centre 2 buying blouses.
A girl checks out a co-ordinate outfit at Fabulous Fashions, in City Centre. Brinda Sarkar
Fashion Adda, in City Centre 1, is offering much of their salwar suits at a sale. “We have got the latest collection from Mumbai but are forced to offer them at discounts as there are no customers. As it is the store is running at a loss. We’ll struggle to pay rent if this continues,” says the salesperson.
Fancy shoe stores fare no better. “It’s raining so much this year that I bought a pair of rubber shoes instead of the usual high heels that I buy every Puja. I am still using my old shoes as I hardly ever go out,” said Sunita Saha, a resident of Chinar Park, seen shopping for Crocs at City Centre 2.
Rain, rain go away
But the weather has been playing a major spoilsport. “It’s 5.30pm and I still haven't managed to do bouni,” lamented Rafia Bibi, a state government-awarded weaver from Birbhum. Rita Pal, who was checking out saris from her, said she had done some shopping from Uttarapan. “I know that market complex is never that crowded. And since this fair is happening so close by, I came to support the traditional weavers,” said the Purbachal Cluster I resident.
At the entrance of the hall, those selling trinklets let out a sigh as the drizzle became a shower. “Who would come in this rain?” said one. “I could not come all the way from Behala on two of the 11 days the fair has been on due to bad weather,” said Roy of Kolkata Boutique.
City Centre 2, in New Town, with a fair share of shoppers on Tuesday evening. Showli Chakraborty
Children first
Kajal Biswas, a businessman from New Town, was, admittedly, window shopping at the Tanter Haat. “Things are very uncertain this year and my wife and I may or may not buy clothes for ourselves. But we’ll pick up something for our daughter,” he said.
Children’s stores agree, but identify a trend towards buying more casual clothes than fancy ones. This is mainly because kids are likely to outgrow their partywear before the pandemic ends.
“People are buying fewer clothes now and cheaper clothes,” says Kaushik Sarda of Lil Champs in City Centre 1. “Instead of Rs 1,000, their budget is down to Rs 600 or 700. And puja shopping began only last week instead of last month. Footfall is decent only on weekends but even then most people are heading to food courts. And if it rains in the morning, few people will come the rest of the day.”
Customers inside a hall at the Baluchari Kantha and Silk Fair at Aikatan complex in IA Block. Sudeshna Banerjee
Fewer and cheaper
“This is the first time I’m seeing customers glance at the price tag before making a choice. This would never happen before the pandemic,” says Anshu Kayal, who runs a designer wear store named after herself at City Centre. “No one wants to exceed the Rs 2,000 to 5,000 range now.”
Animesh Jaiswal of Dare 2 Wear concurs. “Time was when people would come and ask for beautiful outfits. Now they are quoting a price range and asking to see what fits their budget. The pandemic has hit pockets hard.” While sale of his men’s and women’s western outfits may be less than great, he has run out of masks and has called for more.
Sarmishtha Sen Das of Bikikini, a new boutique that opened doors in New Town’s CA Block, says customers want to buy but are cautious about spending. “So we have introduced cost-effective combo packs where saris and matching jewellery can be bought,” says Sen Das. “Also, instead of balucharis, that cost upwards of Rs 5,000, we are offering baluchari work on muslin, which are available from Rs 2,500 onwards. Same goes with Benarasis. The new varieties of saris are lighter and cheaper.”
Shameless bargaining
It’s no secret that the textile industry is suffering due to the pandemic but vendors claim customers are now holding them to ransom.
“People are bargaining shamelessly. They are exploiting us as we have our backs against the wall,” says Saradeswari Mukherjee of Purba Satgachi, a stall at Banglar Tanter Haat. “For a Rs 750 salwar they quote Rs 250. It’s insulting. Does art have no value any more? The real tragedy is that we are having to sell at such ridiculous rates as we really have no choice. If the clothes are kept for too long without exposure to sunlight and ventilation, the colour will fade and the folds and pleats will get fine tears.”
Sk. Kismotulla, who has come to the fair from Bolpur, says the starting price for his kurtis is Rs 450. “But no one ready to shell out more than Rs 250 to 350. How much loss can be withstand?” he wonders.
The Biswa Banglar stall at the fair says they are attracting decent customers as their board outside screams of discount of up to 50 per cent. “We are offering the highest discount at the fair,” says Sukanta Ghosh. “People now want to buy items as cheap as possible.”
The fair will continue till October 6, at Central Park.
The Baluchori, Kantha and Silk Fair at the Aikatan complex of EZCC is possibly doing slightly better business than Banglar Tanter Haat simply because the former has a limited number of stalls. “It is true that there are far fewer visitors than other years but those who are coming are making a purchase,” said Renuka Roy of Kolkata Boutique, who has taken a table inside one of the three halls.
The Aikatan fair is on till October October 3, 1pm to 8pm.
Mask rules
The mask has proved a marathon runner. It is still single-handedly keeping many shops afloat. “People are still buying eight to 10 masks at a time, easily running into Rs 500 bills,” says Dipak Bagh of City Centre’s Bharat Fashion.
Some shops are selling matching masks with all their kurtis, some are giving them out as gifts with purchases while a few have stopped selling them. “I stopped keeping masks after my last bundle sold out. Masks have become like alu piyaz — every second shop is selling them,” says Faiyaz Ali of Galstation, City Centre.
From near & far
Although the malls and fairs seem empty on weekdays, they have been attracting customers from far and wide. On Monday Salma Khatoon had come to Banglar Tanter Haat for the third time this year. “I hail from Haitbagan — the shopping hub of north Calcutta — but it is too crowded to shop there. I much prefer the quieter Salt Lake,” she said, balancing sari bags on both hands.
The Baluchori, Kantha and Silk Fair at Aikatan is getting visitors from afar too. “This time, I did not dare to go to any market. As it is, I plan to stay home during the Pujas just as I did last year. I came here to see the fair as fairs are not happening anywhere else,” said Jolly Mitra, a senior citizen who had come with her husband from Kidderpore.
Some hoary-haired ladies had come all the way from Bhowanipore. “This is a nice and quiet place to shop,” they told each other in Hindi.
But Ritupama Chatterjee had come with her nephew Rajpreet and her sister from a stone’s throw away in IA Block. “Our Puja shopping is complete but we will make a purchase if something catches the eye. Ever since we got both doses of the vaccine, we are feeling confident about going out. We came here mainly for him as he loves seeing the bright colours of clothes and the lights at fairs,” she said as the two-and-half year old jumped about. “My mother is also planning to come to the fair when the weather improves. She has not dared to go out shopping with us so far,” she added.
Additional reporting by Sudeshna Banerjee and Showli Chakraborty