Delhi: Shoppers go online, Rakhi stalls at markets empty

New Delhi: A pall of gloom has descended on the Rakhi sellers in the city as they complain of fewer buyers owing to the availability of massive discounts on online shopping websites. “The buyers are moving to the e-commerce portals for their festive purchases,” echoed the sellers.

Ramesh Chandra, a rakhi stall owner at Sarojini Nagar, said, “This year, the number of buyers for rakhi has reduced. In the era of e-commerce, people prefer buying rakhis from various online platforms because of various festive discounts and gifts being offered by websites,” adding that even after ten days, the festive sales have been around just Rs 2,000. 

Another shopkeeper, selling rakhis and other festive things including chocolates, puja material and gift items, said that the things have already become pricey after the implementation of GST. “Due to this, rakhis have become costlier, especially the designer ones, thereby we are generating fewer sales,” he said.

But Chandni Chowk paints a different picture. The market, known for its variety and reasonable price, is flooded with different hues of rakhis. This Raksha Bandhan, the ‘handmade’ rakhis have gained immense popularity in the market. Contrary to this, the demand for the gold studded rakhis from high-end jewellers has reduced.