TIRUCHY: Major shopping stretches across Tiruchy, including NSB Road, Singarathope, Big Bazaar Street and Thillai Nagar, witnessed a surge in shoppers on Saturday, a day ahead of Deepavali. Despite brief spells of rain, people made last-minute purchases of clothes, jewellery, crackers and festive essentials.
Retail outlets and roadside vendors saw increased footfall, while heavy pedestrian movement and vehicle inflow led to congestion on several stretches. However, traders said the rush did not translate into business volumes comparable to pre-2020 levels, with overall sales remaining moderate.
Abdul Basheer, a street vendor, said business had suffered during the past week due to disputes involving traders and removal of shops operating in designated non-vending zones, though Saturday’s rush brought some relief. “Last year, heavy rain affected business, but this time the past week was a disaster due to the issues surrounding traders and shops in non-vending zones. The last-day shopping was relatively better, but customers are buying only a few items and business has not returned to pre-2020 levels,” he said.
He attributed the declining footfall in traditional shopping hubs to the growth of neighbourhood outlets. Areas like Kattur and Karumandapam, which earlier had fewer commercial establishments, now have several retail shops. Even Thillai Nagar, traditionally associated with premium shopping, has smaller outlets offering products at prices comparable to those offered by roadside vendors.
“People no longer need to travel to NSB Road or Big Bazaar Street and deal with the crowds when they can find shops within 5-10 km of their homes,” he added.
The rush also renewed concerns among established traders over temporary roadside stalls operating in front of shops and in designated non-vending zones, affecting customer access. The traders’ associations’ federation called off its proposed protest to avoid disrupting the final day of shopping, even as several roadside vendors continued to operate in non-vending areas.
Uttam Sunil, owner of Sunil Textiles, a wholesale and retail establishment in Tiruchy, said retail sales had taken a hit, while wholesale business performed relatively well.
“Five years ago, we used to receive customers from Perambalur, Ariyalur and even Pudukkottai. Today, we hardly see them as these places have developed their own retail outlets and neighbourhood shops. Competition has increased, even within the city, as customers prefer establishments closer to home,” he said.
T Jayabal, a cracker retailer, said sales had been poor during the first part of the week but picked up over the last two days. However, rising prices had made customers selective, with many opting for a few fancy crackers instead of bulk purchases.
