White goods see frenzied sales

New Delhi: With the GST regime kicking in from Friday midnight, sale of white goods are in full steam with sellers in the national capital offering huge discounts of up to 40 per cent to get rid of inventory.

White goods or consumer durables like TV, AC, washing machines and refrigerators, will cost more under the GST regime as they have been kept at the highest tax slab of 28 per cent.

So frenzied was the last-minute stock clearing sale of white goods that many stores finished up their stock and put up “out of stock” signs especially for high demand items like LED television sets of brands like Sony and LG. Resultantly, while many bargain hunters walked away with fantastic deals, many had to go home empty handed as stocks ran out.

In West Delhi’s Rajouri Garden, a multi-brand retailer said Sony and LG televisions were not available and nor was there a certainty as to when these will be available.

A South Delhi shopkeeper said: “We don’t have TVs available now, they are all sold. However, there is a discount up to 40 per cent on microwaves, washing machines and air conditioners”.

Another dealer at MG Road said even in air conditioners, stocks of brands such as LG and Samsung are have already exhausted. However he said there were discount offers of Rs 3,000 and above on other AC brand like LLOYD while Godrej washing machines were being sold at Rs 12,000.

“The retailers are not buying because they are not getting input credit on the stock purchased before June 30. They are reducing their inventories as a result the stock in the system is coming down”, Kapil Agarwal, VP Marketing, Whirlpool India, told agencies.