Shopkeepers cheer as Dhanteras pushes sales in city

Avneet Kaur

Jalandhar, October 17

After a long period of slump that prevailed due to demonetisation and then the GST, markets here today finally looked up on the occasion of Dhanteras.

All major markets in the city were full of shoppers today on the occasion of Dhanteras. The shopkeepers who had been ruing bad business were all beaming as bumper sales were registered today. People could be seen purchasing gold, silver jewellery, home décor items, candles, diyas and utensils.

The rush of shoppers in all markets – Model Town, Mai Hiran Gate, Rainak Bazaar, Gol Market, Jyoti Chowk and Bartan Bazaar — was so huge that commuters were finding it hard to drive through these areas and park their vehicles outside the market.

Shine on steel

The traditional metal bought on the occasion of Dhanteras as a mark of prosperity in households, utensils made of stainless steel, retained the sheen as well. Utensil shops across the city, especially those located in Peeran Di Gali – a complete Bartan Bazaar, witnessed a huge rush of customers buying steel utensils.

“We had been pinning our hopes on Dhanteras for registering sales and the sales are good today. Customers crowded the shops and for a change, the footfall is more than expected. From cutlery items like spoons and forks to bigger items, the demand for steel utensils remained on a high throughout the day,” said the owner of one of the utensil store.

Glitter attracts customers

Considering the slowdown in the market over the past few months, the jewellers had not been expecting much from the festive season this year.

However, Dhanteras came as a pleasant surprise to those involved in the business of gold and silver. As per the market review, traditional customers bought gold and silver coins to celebrate Dhanteras.

Jalandhar Tribune spoke to a cross-section of women on the occasion. Dalvinder Kaur, an elderly homemaker, said she preferred to sell her old ornaments and to invest in gold as it was considered lucky on this day.

“It has been more than 25 years since I have been buying something on this day. Apart from jewellery and utensils, a set of daily use items is a must to be bought as a good omen on this day,” she added. The festive mood of the people can be gauged from the fact that despite gold prices reaching sky high, people prefer to venture out and buy suitable things. Navdeep Arora, a local resident, said he bought a silver coin as a sign of good luck ahead of Diwali.

“There is nothing like investing in gold as it gives you back the double amount within a short period. Being an auspicious day, it has a lot of significance,” said Preeti Sachdeva, a homemaker.

Automobile sales look up

As per car dealers in the city, on the occasion of Dhanteras, maximum number of new cars had been delivered to residents. Those who had got booked their vehicle have been waiting for long for today to get the delivery as the day is considered auspicious to buy new metal.