Sun Oct 27 15:41:22 UTC 2024: Published – October 27, 2024 09:11 pm IST – VirudhunagarSeveral fireworks manufacturers have put up huge boards offering as high as 90% discount on crackers ahead of Deepavali in Virudhunagar district. | Photo Credit: MOORTHY G
For those intending to buying crackers at discount rate, there is no more need to travel all the way to Sivakasi. For scores of crackers shops, big and small, have set up shop along the Tirunelveli-Madurai highway.
Huge hoardings have been put up along the four-way highway outside each shop announcing heavy discounts of up to 90% on the products.
People travelling in personal vehicles on the four-way make unscheduled stops to buy the fireworks.
“Lot of people who are going to Chennai and Tiruchi from Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts stop at the roadside cracker shops and buy fireworks,” said T. Balaganesh of Ethirkottai who has put up his shop between Sattur and Virudhunagar.The prices are almost the same as the shops on the highway. “They need to go extra distance to Sivakasi for buying these crackers at cheaper rates,” he added. This year the price of the fireworks have increased due to lower production, he said.
“The products that you could have bought for ₹5,000 earlier, would now cost ₹6,500,” he added. This was also because of higher wages for workers and increased transport charges.
Most of the shops have put up huge hoardings of popular brands of fireworks. However, they also sell goods of some unheard of brands.
People who are aware of brands go for them for their superior quality. Those goods would have fewer failures, but come with a price.“But, those who look for less price go for lesser known brands. Their quality would be known only on Deepavali day, when they burst them,” he added.
Even for those who are bent upon going to Sivakasi from Virudhunagar and Sattur have plenty of choices as several scores of shops have been opened on those two roads.
The hoarding of one of the shops on Virudhunagar-Sivakasi road screamed that it offered 91% discount.
“This is all like Aadi sale of textile goods. Most of the people walk in only if the goods are sold at a discounted rate. Hence, every shop is giving 80% to 90% discount” said M. Hariharasudhan, who runs a shop at Vadamalapuram.He said that his was a company-owned shop where his products are sold with higher discounts.
“We have a MRP list along with net rate mentioned againt them. We show them the price list to the customers for them to decide,” he added. He complained about some customers still bargaining after the 80% discount was offered.
“People think that they use fireworks for only one day for Deepavali. But, they seldom think that lakhs of workers have been working to make those fireworks goods for the whole year,” he said.
The price of goods had gone up in the last three months after supply of microcord fuse became scare.
“We had to buy them in black market at three times the cost. So, we had to increase the price in the last few months,” he added.
Many trucks that were returning to northern and western districts after unloading goods in southern districts were seen parked near the cracker shops.
“These trucks come to southern districts before Deepavali, only to buy crackers to take back home,” Mr. Balaganesh said.A taxi driver from Madurai said that he had bought cracker gift boxes for ₹650 and ₹750 in Virudhunagar, while the same type of gift boxes in Madurai would cost ₹2,200 to ₹2,500.
Published – October 27, 2024 09:11 pm IST
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