It’s business as usual on budget eve

kolkata: no pre-budget calculations or curiosity. the city, it seems, is bored of the guessing game. on the eve of the union budget on wednesday, shoppers were out in usual numbers, buying television sets, refrigerators, music systems, home appliances and even cars. “we’re doing business as usual. televisions are doing well. music systems are selling moderately.no one expects prices to swing. and frankly, many don’t bother,� said aloke nopany, owner of harmony house, one of the largest white and brown goods store in the city. nopany says there is no pre-budget anticipations this year. “even last year, the people were waiting for prices to crash in some segments. the prices did decline in the budget. but this time around, we’ve had steady sales with no indications of anything other than the usual industrywide slowdown,� he said. agrees a salesman at capital electronics. “the appliances market is dull but has nothing to do with the budget. refrigerators, airconditioners, washing machine and microwaves are moving at a slow pace,� he said. abhijit dey and wife manjula, who were out to purchase a 29-inch colour television, were not too keen on union finance minister yashwant sinha number crunching in the lok sabha the next day. dey is an executive in a city firm. “i’ve reimbursed some of my expenses and my wife was keen to spend it before i did,� dey said, adding with a chuckle, “it matters little what sinha proposes. the wife is there to dispose.� not many expect even big screen televisions and mega-size refrigerators to cost less next month even if excise duty on imported components are slashed by the finance minister. “companies have been surviving on narrow margins. any cut in excise duty will come as a relief,� an electrolux india official said. in auto showrooms, business at this time of the year is very different from previous years. there’s no rush to make the last minute purchase before an excise duty hike. nor is there a slowdown like the previous year when people expecting a big duty cut. bijay bothra, the ford dealer in the city, said he does not expect prices to come down after the budget. for those customers who appear weary though, he has unveiled a never-before offer. “we are offering a safeguard whereby we will make good the losses incurred by a customer if ford reduces prices following the budget,� bothra said. while february sales are up 40 per cent against january, he says it is a natural correction after a slump. “it’s got nothing to do with the budget,� he said emphatically. siddharth automobile’s deepak loyalka agreed. “sales of passenger cars and multi-utility vehicles are continuing in full swing. last year, people waited for excise duty to go down. this year though, despite some feelers of a slight reduction in excise duty, no one is willing to wait,� he said. there’s no rush for even motorcycles and scooters, which are expected to become dearer after the budget. “with everyone availing of easy loans, no one really bothers about a few hundred rupees here and there,� loyalka added. big retail stores like pantaloon and westside too are doing good business. though sales are down about 5-10 per cent with mega-sales around, people are shopping. “i did hear of two ladies speculating on the post-budget price of lpg cylinders but that’s that,� says a salesman at pantaloon. the only shops that seem to have taken a hit are those selling personal computers. “everyone is expecting incentives in the budget. while sales are not as bad as it had become prior to the budget last year, it’s trickled down to a bare minimum,� acknowledged an employee at computer exchange.