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Andhra Pradesh
Ashadam sales on all-time high this year!
Manisha Garg
The crowded counter inside a shopping mall in Visakhapatnam.
VISAKHAPATNAM: It’s Ashadam time again and discounts are raining in nearly all the shopping malls in the city. Be it handloom cottons, silks, crepes, chiffons, pattu, Gadwal, Pochampalli, Benaras or designer sarees all that you wanted to buy are available in myriad hues and motifs and at much lower prices. With marriage season round the corner, fancy sarees and jewellery purchases are on the top of the shopper’s list and the shopping malls are the shopper’s delight these days.
The crowded malls are the testimony to the excellent response that sales have received. P. Lakshmi Rao whose marriage is fixed for the next month, has been on a shopping spree since last week. She, like many others, has observed the discou nts offered are genuine and it’s sensible to make purchases right now as during Shravana month the prices would be higher. She is cashing in on the discounts and plans to finish shopping for the wedding along with the other relatives by next week so that she finishes her wedding shopping before the sales end.
Attractive rebate
Ashadam falls in the fourth month of the Telugu calendar just before the auspicious Shravanam and generally comes around the month of July. Since it is considered inauspicious to shop in this month, the shopkeepers offer attractive discount s especially on the clothing items to boost up their sales. Thanks to the new generation and the discounts offered last few years have seen the actual increase in the sales during this period.
In Kalaniketan Shopping Mall, at the ongoing Ashadam sale, 25 percent to 50 percent discount is offered on an alluring range of sarees from traditional to designer ones. Western clothing for women are also available in different styles and materials. Capris, middies, track bottoms, T-shirts, skirts, jeans and trousers are on sale. In kids wear section; minimum discount is 25 percent and on select items 40 percent. You can buy frocks, salwar suits, skirts, jeans, T-shirts and attractive footwear for kids. On the jewellery items, there is a discount of Rs.33 per gram. Talking about the sales in the Mall, Manager Kalaniketan Shopping Mall K. Venu Kumar says, “The sales have been excellent. Normally Ashadamaram is a lean period but since the discounts are going on, our sales have gone up by 25 percent to 40 percent. The suppliers are giving 10 percent discounts during this period and some discount we are offering. The items that are offered during the sale are the same as during other times. We do not sell damaged or left overs.”
Free offer
ANR Shopping Mall is offering discount on all types of sarees. Gadwal, synthetics, pure silk, fancy, Benaras, work sarees are on sale. The minimum discount is 10 per cent and the maximum discount is 55 per cent on the sarees. On dress mater ial and salwar suits there is offer of buy one, get one free. On men’s clothing, for shirts, trousers, jeans, suiting-shirting, the discount is in the range of 15 percent to 55 percent. In the kids section, baba suits, Punjabi suits, ghagras apart from T-shirts, tops and middies are on discount. According to one of the Managing Directors of the Mall, A. Panduranga Rao, “The Mall caters to the masses and the Ashadam period is very important for every cloth merchant as people tend to postpone purchases to Sharavanam month. So, we cut our margins during this period to attract the customers. From the period otherwise having no sale, the business has been too good. The cloth sales have doubled this month compared to the last month.”
CMR shopping Mall is also attractive offering discounts on the ladies clothing items that include sarees, suits and dress materials. There is excellent choice of embroidered, Pochampally, Mangalagiri, Venkatgiri, Gadwals, pattu, Benaras, Dh armavaram, Uppada, seiko, handloom, Binny silk, pure silk and Kanchi sarees. A visit to the mall satiates women’s desire for exquisite wardrobe.
Owner of Fashion Silk House, Vijay R. Satwani is very happy with the Ashadam sale. He says: “The sales at our shop have increased three times since it started last week.
This year the response has been better compared to last year. There is 40 per cent blanket sale on all the sarees except silk sarees. Party and marriage wear sarees are the favourites this season with embroidered fancy sarees, crepes, georg ettes and chiffons being in high demand.”
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