Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam   

Aashadam discounts all the way!

K.R.Deepak

The wide range of dress materials that malls offer is big lure.-

VISAKHAPATNAM: While Aashadam sales are God-sent for the shoppers, for shopkeepers it is that time of the year when they can clear their old stocks. Ironically, what was earlier the lean period for the sales, owing to the belief that Aashadam is inauspicious for purchases, sales in most of the shopping malls or stores have registered actual increase, of late. This is the time when people used to devote to prayers and visit of temple. But times have changed. One major factor for the change has been the lucrative discounts and attractive schemes pulling the customers in their yoke. If the ‘No margin week’ at the Big Bazaar is drawing huge crowds, Spencers special offers are a big success too. The same is true of other shops selling men’s, women’s apparel, footwear or household items.

Big Bazaar is running different schemes on weekly basis to enhance the sales. Personnel Store Manager Kalyani Singh says, “This week, the ‘No margin Week’, is especially for electronics, furniture, and home needs items. Our sales have gone up by 10 to 15 percent during the period. Laptop, i pod, DVD player along with multimedia speaker system, refrigerator, video camera, T.V., slider bed, diwan, bedroom set, mobiles, computer table, rice-cooker, headphone with FM are being sold on cost to cost basis. Next week, it will be men’s festival with all the offers on men’s items especially the office use ones.” Select clothing items like men’s trousers to jeans, women’s salwar suits, dress materials, bedsheets, pillows, plastics, kitchen ware, buckets, gas burners, candle stands, paintings and jewellery boxes are available at discounted prices. Body sprays originally priced at Rs.130 each can be bought for two for Rs.150. A set of coffee mugs priced at Rs.132 is being sold at as less as Rs.99.

Spencers hypermart is offering a wide range of discounts too. One can buy set of three WhiteHouse trousers or shirts for Rs.999. Ladies readymade dresses are costing Rs.999 against the original Rs.1797. On purchase of ladies accessories worth Rs.500 and above one can win gold worth Rs.15000. Many items of furniture like dining tables and chairs, sofa sets and study tables are on sale apart from the DVD players, Grill microwave ovens, Vaccum players and roti makers. You can walk away with a free steam iron on purchase of a 6.5 semi automatic washing machine or if you buy 20-litre grill microwave oven. There is mega exchange offer on pigeon cookers. Nirlep utensils are on discount as well. On Rifle Brand jeans, there is an offer of buy one, get one. Assistant Manger K. Srikar says, “Aashadam sales are important for garments. That’s why we are selling all kinds of sarees like lazer, georgettes, chiffons, crepe, semi crepe and cotton at lesser prices with starting price being Rs.190. This season clothing and home article sales have shot up by approximately 20 percent in sales but electronic items are not doing that well. We are organising events like activities for senior Citizens and cookery mela and glassware mela. Every week there will be new activity for the visitors.

At Jagdamba, nearly every cloth shop has Aashadam sale going on. Take Chandana Brothers, Bommana, Vastrayalam or Fashion Silk House, each of them has sale on sarees or dress materials or both. Go little further at Suryabagh in Handloom House, export materials are on sale on cost to cost basis. At Dabagardens again, all the major readymade apparel shops are offering tempting offers. Louis Phillipe, Vimal and Koutons have up to 50 percent discount on the clothing. Pantaloons, Provogue and Buddy Davis also have attractive discounts running in the showrooms. At Dwarka Nagar, there is 50 percent discount at Mens.com and 40 percent at Trouser Town among many others.

In footwear segment both the famous brands, Bata and Woodlands are offering up to 50 percent discount.

Clearly, the array of discounts at nearly every shopping place has made Vizag a shopper’s paradise during Aashadam time.

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