Gurugrammers are slowly turning to markets for festive shopping

With the lockdown having been lifted and the markets in Gurgaon returning to normalcy gradually, shoppers have started returning to some of the bigger markets in the Millennium City. With the festive season approaching, many have turned to their old, trusted markets for their festive shopping, albeit with some caution. Factors like trust in local shops and adequate sanitisation and social distancing measures adopted by malls and markets have helped shoppers overcome their fears of the pandemic.
Stepping out to shop
From the different malls of the city to shops in major markets such as Sadar Bazaar feature prominently among the festive shopping plans of many Gurugrammers. Some prefer places like Arjun Marg, Huda Market in Sector 14, Sikanderpur Market, Banjara Market or even slightly more upscale places like Galleria. "I begin my shopping for Teej and Raksha Bandhan around a week before Teej," says Sector 56 resident Nidhi Sharma, adding, "I did the same this year. My husband was afraid that with the pandemic, we should not go out. But offices are open, malls are open, so why should we stay away?"
Ritika Jaiswal, a Sector 43 resident, says, "Even though proper festive shopping hasn’t begun yet, I have still been out a few times, mainly to buy rakhis and gifts for my brothers. Thankfully, the markets reopened in time for me to be able to buy all I wanted." According to many of the shoppers, with the weather turning favourable, it is not a hassle to go out for shopping.
'Online shopping can’t match the joy of shopping in markets especially during festivals'
Many of the city's residents say that even though you can get much of the same stuff online as well, they prefer their trusted shops to which they have been going for years. When it comes to shopping during the festivals, Gurugrammers say they prefer to visit shops themselves, rather than shop online. Ritesh Ahlawat, who stays in DLF Phase 1, tells us, "There is a certain trust factor with local markets and with the shops you have been going to for years. That does not exist in online shopping. I have shopped for clothes online but for more traditional and festive clothes, I prefer to go to a market physically."

And with the safety and sanitisation measures taken by shopkeepers and market associations, customers say they are somewhat at ease. Kavita Singhvi, who went out for Raksha Bandhan shopping with her family to Arjun Marg Market last week, says, "Most of the markets in the city have taken a lot of measures to ensure social distancing and sanitisation. There are fewer crowds and everyone wears masks so it does feel safe. All you need is to take adequate precautions and then continue with life."
'Footfall of shoppers is on the rise'
Those who haven’t started shopping yet are also looking to head out soon. "I have made a wish list of the things that I want for a few of the upcoming festivals and like every year, I want to head out to the local markets for that. I know it’s still risky but I am prepared to wait a few weeks," says Aparna Gautam, a Golf Course Road resident.

Shopkeepers report that since people are coming out for festive shopping, they are replenishing their stocks. "It usually begins around Rakhi and continues from there. Although the crowd is less as compared to previous years, but still, the footfall is increasing each day. We are hoping the numbers normalise by September when the real festive shopping begins," says a shopkeeper.