Fearing lockdown, people resort to panic buying in north Karnataka

HUBBALLI: Despite being the month of Ashadha, which is inauspicious for Hindus, large crowds thronged the markets in Hubballi and other cities of the north Karnataka region. The fear of a lockdown is driving people to throng shops to stock up on groceries and other essential commodities.
Shopkeepers on the streets are also stocking up. They fear that a lockdown could be clamped, as there may be the outbreak of a third wave of Covid-19 soon. The increase in people getting infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as well as media reports and speculations regarding the same, are forcing people to resort to panic buying.
Shrikant Habib, a distributor of confectioneries in Hubballi, said that biscuits, sweets and rasgollas are in demand in all the districts of North Karnataka. “However, manufacturers are hesitating to produce them, as their products can’t be stored for a longer period. The confectionery industry was severely hit by the previous lockdown, as even provision stores were shut down, and retailers returned products as they decayed. Even distributors are hesitating to stock up such products, but they are ensuring fast movement of the same,” he said.
Harish Vaishyar, who has a grocery shop in Lingaraj Nagar in Hubballi, said that a heavy rush was seen in the market, but business is below average. “As people have less money, they are buying only essentials. Many customers say that if the lockdown is clamped again, they may face a severe financial crisis,” he said.
Rakesh Kataria, partner, Kataria’s, Hubballi, shared that when lockdown was lifted, a heavy rush was seen for garments for 15 days. “We are now witnessing steady buying, but anticipate panic buying in next 2-3 days, as the government is speaking about night curfew, week-end curfew, and clamping a lockdown to prevent a third wave of Covid-19,” he said.
Manish, a wholesale grocery seller, noted that many retailers are storing grains and their other products more than their usual purchases. “They say that they will need it if a lockdown is clamped. As the government had shut all provision stores in the previous lockdown, they say that people are buying more non-perishable items like rava, flour and grains,” he added.
However, Sunil, proprietor of Sri Bajrang Electricals, said that the panic caused due to the fear of a lockdown being imposed, has negatively impacted the sale of electrical goods. “We had witnessed a 50% revival of business after the lockdown was lifted in the first week of July, but now electrical contractors are saying that they will buy only when there is more clarity on whether a lockdown will be clamped or not. Hence, our sales have come down drastically,” he said.