Mangaluru: Modi’s demonetisation move may have given cold feet to people, but here in Mangaluru, a bunch of men from Modi’s own land are selling blankets at such affordable prices that Mangalureans are thronging these spots to keep themselves warm!!!
Across the city, there are several spots where colourful blankets have been piled. While customers pull out their favourite ones, there are are voices behind the piles of blankets tapping the potential customers putting their sharp marketing acumen to use.
‘THEENSO KA DO’ (two blankets for Rs 300) calls out a man over the mike doing his brisk business and Mangaloreans are being drawn towards these pile of blankets as if it is a scene from Pied Piper.
Two double Panipath bed sheets and two pillow covers for just Rs: 300? Unbelievable but true. Indeed that’s a steal whichever way you look at it and it was worth finding out more. So, off I went into the lion’s den. I found that they are from the vibrant land of Gujarat – with his youthful dynamism and determination – a team of Gujarati youth who have come to Mangaluru with a special New Year offer on Panipath Printed bed sheets and unusual marketing methods – MBAs and retailers wake up! They told me that their stock has run out in just three days and that’s no surprise.
Just 300 not less not more was their call to arms as they began their sales pitch in residential localities around Mangaluru on the day following the dawn of the New Year. According to Sanju, a member of the team, the team had brought five pickups fully loaded with Panipath bed sheets to Mangaluru and commenced sales on the 2nd of January. They set up mobile sales points at prominent residential locations in Mangaluru like State bank, Nantoor, Kankanady etc. “The Stocks have sold out in three days,” Sanju added
I could not not ask him about their modus operandi too. “We divide into teams of four for sales in each pick up van and go to various places to sell the bedsheets. Mangaluru has more liking toward designer bed sheets not Solapuri bed sheets or Rasai. We are getting these bed sheets from Panitpath and then selling them. We go around different places like Bengaluru, Mysuru, Hubli, Udupi, Mumbai etc to sell different things. People of different places like different things. Some like Solapuri bedsheets, some like Rasai, and some like Panipath bed sheets. Accordingly we order stuff from the company and sell them.” said Lakhan another member of the team.
“The whole team is from Gujarat, we get a reasonable pay from the company we work for. Our company ‘Tata Textiles’ produces a variety of items like bed sheets, Rasai, Chaddar, Solapuri Bed sheets. We have other combo’s offers too for other items like 4 Sholapur bed sheets for 500, 2-3 Rasai for Rs 1,000. We are able to offer these items at this price as we get the items at a wholesale rate directly from the company and the expenses are very low. This is why we offer a reasonable price. We give good material for a lower price and people come here and buy these, as it works out for them, though some still come and bargain” says Sanju.
A customer speaking to News Karnataka said, “This is a very good offer. We are getting this item for just 300. And as its winter, this offer is very helpful. We go to retail shops to buy similar items and they almost loot us. But this offer has attracted many people and there is happiness on both the sides i.e. the customer as well as the seller.”
The items that are sold on the streets are not always the worst or made out of bad materials. In fact the bed sheets being sold are of good quality. This was one such offer that combined quality with price because of low overheads and was embraced by Mangalureans across the city. With stocks sold out Mangaloreans await the return of the Gujarati team with new items with perhaps more variety.
