No window dressing this

Manpriya Singh

Several questions have raised their head in the complicated times we are going through. Is consumer confidence enough to drag the economy back on track? Retailers from the heart of the city, Sector 17 plaza, share details about the footfall gained and precautions taken. At Kapsons Exclusive in Sector 17, trying clothes has been put on hold. “However, we have our return policy in place, which means the articles returned are kept away at least for two days, sanitised with steam iron and only then put back on the shelves,” shares Mohit Sharma, the store manager.

While the quantity of business has definitely suffered, he looks at the brighter side. “If earlier we had casual walk-ins comprising 300 or more people, now it is down to 50 to 60 shoppers. But they are all serious ones now, those who purchase in bulk. Business, which was less than 20 per cent for all retailers to begin with, has come up to the level of 30 per cent and in some cases even 50 per cent.”

Taking no chances

Manish Jain, owner, Meena Bazaar, admits to shoppers just walking in and out of the store earlier. He says, “Now, sometimes they spend half-an-hour too and that is partly because of the precautions we are taking. Masks are handed at entry points to those not wearing them and thermal scanning is done before customers are let in. If anything is tried by the customer, it is sent to the quarantine zone, where the next day UV lights are used to sanitise the garment.”

Virtual shop

Then there is also a system being put in place where retail assistants take you on a virtual tour of the shop, show each piece over a video call. Says Ritika Ranjan, a visual merchandiser with one of the Michael Kors boutiques, “We will not let more than two customers come into our boutiques at one time. We are also arranging for home trunk shows.”

“Although in a subtle way, people are still panic-buying, especially the kids’ garments and essentials, just in case the situation gets worse in the future,” shares a retailer of innerwear brands in Sector 8 on the condition of anonymity.

At the Adidas retail outlet in Sector 17, all precautions are in place too. “We keep the garment aside for 20 hours after it has been touched and seen by a prospective buyer,” says the manager Ravinder Pal Singh. Ask him about the profile of shoppers that have returned and he adds, “Business is definitely picking up by the day. But right now, people are only coming in for essentials.”