Brisk sales at student markets

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JUNE 2. With the reopening of schools round the corner, student markets at the Gandhi Park, VJT Hall, Statue and Vazhuthacaud in the city are scurrying to capitalise on the last minute demand for books and various student accessories.

While almost all private shops have stocked themselves with school bags, shoes, pencil boxes, lunch boxes, rain coats and umbrellas, the Neethi store, Triveni Department Store and various cooperative stores have also started separate school markets which offer good quality school items at fair prices.

Despite the match-fixing scandal, cricketers remain the favourite heroes of school students. Notebooks with the pictures of Azharuddin, Ganguly, Sachin, Kapil Dev, Kluesner and Walsh are selling like hot cake. While an 80-page notebook is priced at Rs. 2.80 and a 200-page notebook at Rs. 9.26 at Triveni, the same notebooks cost Rs. 4 and Rs. 11 in the open market.

Note books alone worth Rs. 75 lakhs were sold at the Triveni school market till June 2. As many as 20,000 schoolbags and 11,000 umbrellas were also sold from the Triveni outlet. Though the price of notebooks in the open market is higher than that of last year, Triveni has been able to peg down the prices as the notebooks are manufactured by Consumerfed and also due to the absence of middlemen.

Umbrellas priced between Rs. 90 and Rs. 250 are also available at the fair price markets. Meanwhile, the prices of umbrellas in the open market varies from Rs. 100 to Rs. 350. An umbrella, which is priced Rs. 210, is claimed to protect the user from the ultra- violet rays of the sun. Umbrellas with whistle and finger guard are also in demand.

The prices of water bottles ranges from Rs. 25 onwards. However, the insulated waterbottles from leading companies, which cost upwards of Rs. 120, seem to enjoy good sales. Hotpack lunch boxes ranging from Rs. 85 onwards also have many takers.

Outfitting a child with new uniforms, lunch box, pencil box, school bag, rain coat and shoes would leave a parent poorer by about Rs. 2,000. In the case of some private schools, for a primary school student, the school fee and the cost of text books alone works out to Rs. 3,000.

Most private schools procure and sell the textbooks and notebooks to their students, taking a cut themselves. While a 196 page "special" note book is priced at Rs. 25 outside, some private schools sell it at Rs. 30.

The traders say the school markets would be lively for about a week after the schools reopen on June 5.

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