For the best bargains on groceries, nothing beats Wednesday. That?s because large retail chains like the RPG group?s Spencer?s and the Future group?s Big Bazaar offer the biggest discounts on that day. Reliance Retail and Aditya Birla Retail plan similar markdowns soon.
According to industry trends, Indians don?t shop much on Wednesdays or Thursdays, resulting in one-fifth of the footfalls that retail chains see on weekends. Reliance Fresh, for instance, sees average weekend footfalls of 1,500, but that figure drops precipitously to a low of 250 on Wednesday. Groceries constitute around 65% of the total retail market in the country.
?On weekdays, mostly housewives visit our stores since working women don?t really have the time. And being right in the middle of the week, Wednesdays aren?t popular for shopping,? said Gunender Kapur, chief executive, Reliance Retail.
?We choose Wednesdays to offer heavy discounts, since Wednesdays and Thursdays disrupt sales and break the momentum gained on weekends and Mondays,? said Samar Sheikhawat, marketing vice-president, Spencer?s Retail. The move has helped the company overcome its midweek blues.
Spencer?s has launched the ?Hara bhara Wednesday? scheme of offering discounts on vegetables, while Big Bazaar promotes the Wednesday Bazaar, ?Hafte ka sabse sasta din?. ?All you need to do is get customers to your store with offers on groceries. Once inside, they end up buying more,? added Sheikhawat.
Interestingly, Mondays are rapidly catching up with Fridays as a preferred day for shopping.