Shopping at Janpath - Delhi

Window-shoppers overtake actual buyers: More than 60 per cent queries made by buyers at Ratan's counter translated into sales last year. This year, things changed. "I remember missing lunch several times to cater to the rush and the store used to stay abuzz the entire day. Sometimes, I desperately awaited a break. I miss the feeling this year," said Ratan, who works at a popular cloth store in Aminabad. His colleague Hanif added that even the queries have decreased by at least 30 per cent. "It is all because of the price rise," he lamented.

Few buyers, fewer offers: The lull has made shop-keepers miser, believes Pooja Singh, a housewife who was shopping for her children at a city mall on Wednesday. "There are very few offers and the stuff displayed in the sales isn't appealing," she said. A walk down Janpath basement proved her point. In the twelve odd shops, just 50 per cent offered some discount. Interestingly, the shopkeepers aren't inviting customers enthusiastically. "This is what we have," is the common answer, probably indicating that shopkeepers have not invested heavily.

The very onset of festive season filled us with energy as both sales and work increased manifolds," said KC Bhambwani, president Hazratganj Trader's Association.