Poor sales on Dhanteras dent hopes of utensil traders in Ludhiana
Shops have been stocked with a variety of kitchenware, but customers are few and far in between due to the economic crisis brought about by the pandemic, say shopkeepers.
While shopkeepers selling utensils were pinning hopes on Dhanteras to help them tide over their losses due to the pandemic, the festival failed to do much for them.
Contrary to the past when shop owners would witness hordes of customers right in the morning, this time, the usual fervour was missing.
Till around 4pm, only around 30 customers had visited most of the utensil shops, as compared to over 100 in the pre-Covid times, said shopkeepers.
Shops in Ghumar Mandi and Jawahar Nagar had stocked a variety of dinner sets, mugs, glasses and cookware, but their owners said the response remained tardy.
Proprietor of New Mittal Bartan Store, Ghumar Mandi, Ashok Mittal said, “I stocked on a gamut of utensils in steel and brass, expecting a high response, but in vain. Hopefully, this will improve with two days to go for Diwali.”
“In my 20 years in this trader, I never saw such a lack-lustre response on Dhanteras. The few customers that did turn up, purchased limited articles. If this continues till Diwali, it will be a bummer, as I was expecting to surmount my losses due to the pandemic during the festive season,” said Sunil Kumar, a shopkeer in Jawahar Nagar.
“I have added new stock of mugs, glasses and dinner sets, as people prefer them for Diwali gifting, but due to lack of resources, customers are far and few in between. I am worried about my survival if this continues,” he added.