As additional guidelines announced on April 20 curb access to essential shops, city shopkeepers grapple with the dual challenge of keeping up with the change and shoring up their business
People stand in queue outside a shop in Borivali West near Bhagwati Hospital on the first day of the new guidelines for essential shops to remain open only between 7 am and 11 am. Photo: Nimish Dave
The Maharashtra government on April 20 announced additions to the existing lockdown guidelines, which had been in effect from April 5. While the earlier rules allowed essential services to be open from 7 am – 8 pm, the fresh guidelines stated they will be accessible for walk-ins between 7 am and 11 am, and may be open for home deliveries until 8 pm. Furthermore, local authorities may change these timings. This system will be in effect until 7 am on May 1.
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According to the order released by the state government, the rule is applicable to all groceries, vegetable shops, fruit vendors, dairies, bakeries, confectionaries, and other food shops including poultry. It also includes shops selling agriculture implements, farm produce and pet food. However, while the lockdown guidelines are being implemented for public safety during the Covid-19 surge, the fluctuations are taking a toll on city shopkeepers. Some are struggling to keep up with the change, and others are incurring large losses.
Across the city, panic-shoppers crowded the streets before 11 am. The new restricted shop hours coincide with office timings, forcing people to juggle their work-from-home duties as well as stock up on essentials. They scrambled from shop to shop to get supplies for at least the next few days, so that they are ready if another stricter lockdown is imposed in the city.
Vasai-based shopkeeper Rajesh Chaudhary, who witnessed a steady stream of visitors in the last hour before 11 am, says it becomes hard for him to run his business. “After the timings were restricted to 8 pm, my shop has already been robbed once. Over that, I have incurred losses of Rs 1.5 lakh.” The robbery, Chaudhary explains, is due to the fact that streets are empty and he has been leaving the shop earlier than his usual 11 pm closing.
Chaudhary was seen handing out as many as three packets of bread per customer and telling others his stock of milk had run out for the day. Amidst the impending lockdown, the 28-year-old shopkeeper, who has been running his shop for three years now says, “There has been less stock coming and I am only making a few hours of sale. I have no one to help with deliveries,” he says, while adding, “It feels like this whole year will go in a lockdown due to the rising cases, and that will end up take a toll on us shopkeepers.”
For Ranjit Singh, owner of Jay Majisa Grocery Stores in Thane’s Majiwada village, business was as usual during the 4-hour walk-in slot on Day 1 with the new rules in place. “Most of the local residents here are labourers, they don’t get paid on time so they have not been buying a lot since last year.” He shuttered by 11 am Wednesday and began delivering from a stock of items kept in his home. He was taking down orders over the phone from the neighbouring high-rise buildings but those were mostly limited to bread, butter, and milk. “For the rest, they anyway prefer buying from malls and delivery apps.”
The growing lockdown has brought back tough memories from last year when his shop remained closed for six months. The rent and electricity bills from that period continue to hurt the retailer. Wholesalers from whom he buys no longer offer stocks on credit. “They insist on cash payments and it has been hard.” If the slump in sales does not recover, Singh plans to return to his native Jalore district in Rajasthan in two years. “I will take up farming.”
(Inputs from Ranjita Ganesan)
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