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Avurudu vendors yell for customers but shoppers walk on
Merchants hoping for Avurudu sales are seeing fewer people at shops and markets, with most spending less time on their shopping, turned off by rising prices, the unusual heat and less buying power. Vendors compete with each other for customers, crying out their wares and prices, but with little success.
D.K. Chandrasiri
H.G. Priyantha
N. Yoganathan, a wholesaler who imports large onions from India and sells them at Rs. 42.50 per kilo, said retail shops are not buying from him.
“In previous years our stocks would have emptied and we would be stocking for the second time but this time there are piles of gunny bags filled with onion,” he said.
The extreme heat was spoiling the stored onions, forcing him to sell them for less than he paid to import them. Solomon Devahesh, a wholesale merchant who specialises in rice and grains, said even though rice prices had dropped slightly due to government price controls fewer people were buying at the markets.
“The young people can’t be bothered to walk around the markets. They don’t want to get sunburned or walk in busy streets filled with porters and lorries. Instead, they go to places like Food City, which have services such as debit and credit card facilities,” he said. The porters at Fort are frustrated due to lack of work, with some sitting waiting to be hired to load and unload lorries while others quarrel over claiming what work is on offer.
Nilam Deen
Solomon Devahesh
One porter, Nilam Deen, who had no work, said he was unable to return to his home town without money because his wife and children were waiting to buy goods for the New Year. “During New Year week we are on leave and are unable to earn but in previous years we covered those days from earnings made before the New Year. This year I have not earned much,” he said.
Vegetable seller H.G. Priyantha, who was selling carrots, beans, brinjals and pumpkins for Rs. 50 a kilo, said even though vegetable prices have decreased people were not buying. Transport providers such as D.K. Chandrasiri say their business is down because shops had cut down on New Year orders.
Market crowds have dwindled, affirmed shopper M.A.M. Rauff. “Maybe it is the extreme heat, or maybe poverty, but this year most of the shops are without the usual swarms of people waiting to buy goods,” he said. Another shopper, Gangodawilage Jayantha, said even traditional Avurudu purchases of new cloth were expensive this year.
Prices are reasonable, but only a few takers, say vegetable sellers Pix by Athula Devapriya
| Sathosa offers essential items at cost price, big discounts and vehicle raffles The state-owned retail network Lanka Sathosa will sell some essential items at cost price during the National New Year season while it will also offer discounts upto 40 percent on other items, a senior official said, announcing the Avurudu or Puttandu bonanza for its customers. Chief executive officer S.H.M. Faraaz said big onions would be sold at its cost price of Rs. 52, Garlic at its cost price of Rs. 59 and Basmati rice at its cost price of Rs. 120.He said the move was taken to provide consumers relief during the festive season and to allow them to experience the joy of buying goods by spending less money, in keeeping with Lanka Sathosa’s National New Year theme of “Aduma Milata Wada Aduwen” (Lower than the lowest price). The offer will be valid till April 16.In addition to the discount bonanza, there would be raffles with the prizes being a Rs. 2.5 million worth motor car and five Scooty Pep motorcycles, Mr. Faraaz said. He said Lanka Sathosa’s A+ shops would be kept open till 11 pm while other outlets would remain open till 10 pm to enable consumers to shop till late at night during the festive season. | |