Demonetisation hits Christmas shoppers in Thiruvananthapuram
Textile shops and footwear outlets are the ones who are weathering the crisis with clearance sales.
Thiruvanathapuram: Christmas season has not been bright enough for traders whose business has been hit by cash shortage due to demonetisation and traders say clearance sales are the only trick draw customers. Annually, the Christmas shopping spree begins mid-November, but it has started late only after December first week. Textile shops and footwear outlets are the ones who are weathering the crisis with clearance sales.
“Shoes on display were slightly faded than those in boxes. So we made a clearance sale with 25 to 50 percent off, and there were many takers. Some attracted to clearance sales to pick up other products also. Business is dull,” said a salesman at a footwear outlet on MG Road. “Anticipating low business, we did not take huge stock of decorative items. Some of the leftovers of last Christmas were, of course, cleared. A bit of new stock such as stars and crib set were sold,” said Sajesh Kumar, a salesman at a Chalai shop.
People go for cheaper paper stars between Rs 58 and Rs 200 now presumably because of cash shortage. LED stars which were show stoppers during last season do not attract many. Poultry Farmers and Traders Association of Kerala secretary Abdul-Jabbar said meat prices also had not shot up this Christmas.
