The festival season is
usually an excuse for purse
strings to be loosened. The virus and its subsequent effect on the economy have
resulted in jobs being lost and salaries reduced for those who still have one.
The general economic sentiment has been depressed and it has not been unusual
for retailers to complain of poor sales.
Ganesh Chaturthi is without a doubt the
most important festival in the Hindu calendar for Goans. It is a time when
families come together and celebrate. The past two years have however been very
different. Social distancing was followed by several families and many
preferred to come together digitally. This year the virus is still around and
the possibility of the third wave coming in is a distinct possibility. These
sentiments have had an effect on retail business.
Jitendra Shah who owns a sari shop in
Panjim said there had been no surge in business in the run up to the festival.
He said “The people who walk into the shop are buying saris priced between Rs
500-1500, nothing beyond that. The virus has certainly had an effect on
business sentiment”.
Another retailer in the sari market, KS
Rao said there was business to talk about. He said business last year during
the same period was better. He said “This year it is really bad. I don’t seem
to understand the market anymore. People don’t seem to be in the mood to buy.
Yes, they are still buying necessary items but even that I am told the
quantities have been reduced. The purchase of a garment is a bit lower in the
table of needs. I don’t really know what people are buying anymore. These are
very strange times. Our business has really slumped.”
The purchase of sweets is a very important part of the festival.
Nitin Maganlal who retails sweets said it was an excellent opportunity for
business and they were receiving orders at a decent pace. He said business had
increased around 5-7% over the last year for the same period. He said there
were two varieties, the milk and the cashew variety. One of the specialties he
said was the 25 varieties of Modaks which was generating a lot of sales. He
ended by saying he was generally happy with the business but would like more
orders to come in.
It is not unusual for people to buy clothes for the occasion.
Samrudh Bharne who heads a large fashion and lifestyle store said the response
had been lukewarm. He said business was not helped by the fact it rained
heavily in the last three or four days. It made it difficult for people to step
out to buy things that were needed. He said the virus was not helping and now
the weather had also conspired. He said” Tourism has not started and the
general atmosphere is lukewarm. I thought there would be revenge shopping but
that has not taken place. People are still worried about the future. Jobs are
still uncertain and due to this the disposable income has not come out. We are
literally scrapping along.”
Another important purchase was jewelry. Vaibhav the manager at a
local outlet said business was decent though he refused to provide more
details. Shreyas Lotlikar from a long standing business in the jewelry sector
was blunt when he said this year business was poor when compared to the same
period last year. He said “The virus has caused more damage than just medical.
Salaries are still a problem. People are still worried about their jobs. The
last two years have been bad for us as a business”. He however felt the market
would improve. He said business around Diwali was good and with Navratri coming
around business sentiment he felt would improve. The he said the wedding season
would also commence which would be good for business. Now he said the jewelry
market was down by fifty percent and with the prices also having dropped, there
was still no business. People he said still had the jitters. He however
expressed the hope business would improve.
For Disha Bhandodkar this will be the first celebration after
her marriage and this time it will be in Chandor. She said “It is without a
doubt the most important festival in Goa but this year due to the virus it will
be a low key affair. We will keep Lord Ganesha for a day and a half and we will
be following all the Sops. Social distancing will be maintained and will not be
visiting people. We will have online puja and yes we will have sweets”. She
ended by saying that she and her family intended to enjoy themselves in a
prudent manner.
These
may be tough times and the sentiment may be restrained but retailers live in
hope for a better future.
