Shopping fever reaches its peak in Bangalore this season

Shopping fever reaches its peak in Bangalore this season

The Hindu

People throng markets to purchase things from clothes to crockery

Bangalore: Textile stores, especially those with designer wear, and those selling liquor and shops specialising in gift articles are crowded with shoppers. The shopping frenzy which started just before Christmas is expected to reach its zenith by end of the week.

What do they shop for? Clothing, carefully selected for being exclusive. No woman wants to wear out-of-fashion dresses, or those displayed by the dozens on store racks, to a New Year party. Matching accessories is a must and the footwear shops lined along Brigade Road and Commercial Street are packed with customers.

Weighed down with shopping bags, many women are also making appointments with beauticians and hair-stylists. Streaked and highlighted hair, permed to last till the 31st and enough hair brushes and sprays to get that just-coiffed look before the year's biggest party are one everyone's list too.

Partying, which started with Dasara and Deepavali, peaks by the year-end and homemakers are looking around for different kinds of glasses and goblets and, if they can afford it, china and cutlery too. Others just need them to replace glassware broken at the last party they hosted. Conveniently near the stores selling crockery and glassware are the wine stores and department stores. Apart from hard liquor, there is more demand now for wine and especially sparkling wine, India's substitute for champagne, which costs a fortune. New Year gifts are now regularly exchanged between spouses, girl/boy friends and families.

Bangalore has the third largest crowd of online shoppers in the country, according to a recent survey and many are eager to reinforce this claim. Not exactly enjoying the shopping spree are the traffic police. They have to cope with both heavy traffic and drivers trying to double park or wedge their cars into impossibly narrow slots .