ERODE: A large number of people gathered in the early hours of Monday to shop at the traditional post-Deepavali discount sales held at popular textile retail stores. The public waited in long queues in front of shops and purchased clothing at discounted prices.
Erode is famously known for its textile trade. Ready-made clothes are sent from Erode to many cities in Tamil Nadu. On the day after Deepavali, major textile stores on certain streets in the city usually have sales with huge discounts.
On Monday, a 50 to 70% discount was announced in textile stores on RKV Road and Eswaran Kovil Street, where large textile stores are located. People from various parts of Erode, Salem, Namakkal, Tiruppur, and Coimbatore districts flocked to Erode city early on Monday to buy clothes at discount prices.
V K Rajamanickam, president of Federation of All Trade and Industry Associations of Erode District (FATIA), said, "In Erode, discount sales on the day after Deepavali have been a routine for the past few decades. Initially, this practice began in a few shops. However, for the past few years, this particular discount sale has become popular in most shops."
"Most of the popular designs get sold out before Deepavali. However, textile stores need to clear out unsold designs and the clothes they have in stock. Only then will they be able to prepare for the next festive sale. All these stores announce such discount sales with the motive of improving their business," he added.
"As crowds began gathering in front of clothing stores from midnight onwards, Bharani Silks opened its doors at 2.30 am. After that, shops were opened one after another. Shops like Chennai Silks and Malar Silks opened at 4 am. Small shops as well as large stores took part in this sale," a local trader said.
People were allowed into the shops in batches, waiting in line. Each batch was given about 20 to 30 minutes to collect their clothes. However, this sale does not include certain high-priced varieties, such as silk sarees. In some shops, customers were not allowed to open the package covers. They were allowed to take them if they liked the colour and design," sources said.
"Most shops had closed the sale by 11 am on Monday as most of the clothes were sold by then," sources added.
S V N Sankar, owner of SVN Tex, said, "Textile stores have to prepare next for Christmas, New Year and Pongal festivals. There is a need to bring new designs, varieties and models for sale to attract customers. We cannot keep up with the designs and models that came for Deepavali. This clears our Deepavali stock. At the same time, stores do not sell low-quality textiles during the discount sale."