Super Sunday sales bring smiles to traders, city is full fledged into Puja shopping
Telegraph | 15 September 2025
Durga Puja is barely a fortnight away, and Calcutta’s shopping hubs were crowded with buyers on Sunday.
Sashthi is on September 28 this year. Retailers said they expected the demand to peak in the two weeks ahead.
The sky was consistently cloudy on Sunday, and there was more than one spell of light rain. Despite the showers, the markets were busy throughout the day. If anything, the overcast conditions offered some relief from the high humidity, said shoppers.
“This year, Durga Puja is lined up earlier than usual. The end-of-season sale wrapped up in mid-August. Puja shopping began two weeks later. There was hardly any breathing space. That is why Puja shopping lacked its usual verve in the beginning. But the situation has changed now, especially since Friday night. Saturday and Sunday were very good in terms of business. We expect the footfall and sales to peak in the next two weekends,” said a senior executive of a fashion company that has brought multiple popular international brands into the Indian market.
At the malls, the cash counters had queues since early evening. The trial rooms were occupied most of the time. Car parking slots were mostly full by evening.
“We are just two weeks away from Durga Puja and barely a week from Mahalaya. The shopping fervour picked up last week, and we expect the excitement to intensify in the days ahead,” said Subhadip Basu, corporate general manager — retail and hospitality, Merlin Group, developers of the Acropolis mall.
Jewellery, footwear and apparel segments have been doing well, he added.
Around 6pm, the outlet of a popular departmental store and retailer at South City Mall was teeming with people. Store executives were overwhelmed with buyers’ queries. People waited for their turn outside the trial rooms. At the cash counters, the queue was longer.
Soumya Si, 42, who came to South City Mall with his wife and daughter, said that the week before Mahalaya is when the festive spirit truly sets in.
“We came today because the week leading to Mahalaya is when the real Puja feeling vibe sets in. There’s a wonderful ambience everywhere, with lights and the sound of Puja all around. After this, we’ll head to Gariahat for the rest of our shopping,” said Si, who drove from Howrah, a project manager with a tech services company.
A marketing executive of a premium menswear store in south Calcutta said “one in two people” who walked into the store bought something on Saturday and Sunday.
“The conversion rate is going up now. As Puja comes closer, the rate will go further up,” he said.
At traditional markets like Gariahat, Hatibagan and New Market, which have lost some of their sheen to the advent of e-commerce platforms, the crowd surged in the late afternoon and evening.
Many of the shoppers were from the districts.
Saikat Ghosh, 25, came from Durgapur with his mother and aunts.
“It’s like an annual ritual for us. We usually spend the weekend at a relative’s place at Santoshpur and shop at Gariahat and New Market. This year, we are a little late because I had to manage my work schedule and not everyone in the family was free,” said Ghosh, an intern at a chemical manufacturing company in Durgapur.
A kidswear store on Rashbehari Avenue, near Basanti Devi College, was crowded when this newspaper visited around 4.45pm.
“This weekend has been very good. We did not get an idle moment yesterday. Almost 90 per cent of our stock has already been sold. We will need a fresh inventory in a day or two,” said Partha Saha, an employee at the store, which had sold close to 150 dresses till 4.30pm on Sunday.
Festival spirit fuels rush
Malls and markets were buzzing on Sunday. Metro spoke to a couple of buyers and a sellers
Basabdutta Ghosh, homemaker
Came with cousins from Behala to Gariahat We celebrate Durga Puja at our home. We generally shop before Mahalaya since we will be busy with the puja in the days ahead.
We acquired dupattas and saris for the idol and collected the final essentials for our puja. The cloud cover and rain have improved the weather. It is perfect for a group outing.
Soumya Si, project manager with a tech services company
Came with his wife and daughter to South City Mall from Howrah Typically, we reserve the week leading up to Mahalaya for our Puja shopping.
This period marks the true onset of the festive spirit. Following this, we will proceed to Gariahat to continue our shopping.
Our itinerary includes both shopping malls and traditional markets. The refreshing comfort of a mall is enjoyable.
However, the essence of Durga Puja is not fulfilled without the hustle and bustle found at Gariahat.
Pooja Bahrus, owner of Jamna’s, a cloth store in New Market
The Puja business is no longer what it once was. The market has been progressively transitioning towards e-commerce platforms.
The decline in the number of Bangladeshi shoppers has also negatively impacted us.
Nevertheless, Durga Puja remains one of the prime periods for business. We anticipate strong sales in the upcoming weeks.