BANKING TRADE AND COMMERCE

RETAIL TRADE

Retail shops provide a link between the wholesaler and the consumer, and cater for many of the needs of the people. Formerly retail shops were small establishments dealing in a few groceries. By the beginning of this century and in the subsequent two decades weekly bazars assumed importance as regards retail transactions. The rural populace used to buy their requirements for the week from the bazars. Petty itinerant traders like pedlars used to sell articles like kerosene, groundnut oil, ghee, vegetables, fruits, stationery, cutlery, handloom as well as mill made cloth, etc. Consequently, the retail shops existing then were less in number and small in size. However, since the last two decades the retail shopkeepers have been selling varied articles and the volume of sales has also gone up. During the World War II and the following years there was rationing of consumers goods in virtue of which distribution of sugar, rice, wheat, jowar, bajri, flour, kerosene, cloth, etc., was restricted to a few authorised rationing shops. This was in keeping with the shortage of consumable goods due to war. Consequently, volume of sales of the retail shops was small. The controls were relaxed in 1950, and from 1954 they were withdrawn completely.

The following is a description of the various groups of retail shops in Kolaba district:―

Grocery.

Retail shops comprising this group are the most numerous and their turnover is the largest of all in Kolaba district. Every town or village has a number of them. They sell rice, wheat, jowar, tur, dal, gul, sugar, kerosene, groundnut oil, hydrogenated oils, coconut oil, spices, condiments, soaps, toilets, pencils, tea, coffee, tobacco, bidi, confectionery, etc. A few are found to be keeping stationery and cutlery goods and petty medicines like aspro, anacin, paludrine, comoquin and castor oil. Grocery shops in the towns have assumed a varied nature. Grocers at Karjat, Neral and Panvel bring the goods from Bombay and Kalyan; those in the rural areas generally do not go beyond the towns in this district only. The annual turnover of a grocer may vary from Rs. 500 to Rs. 5,000. The grocers generally sell against cash, though some sell on credit to the intimate customers.

Cloth, Readymade Clothes and Hosiery.

Retailers falling in this group keep coarse, medium and mercerised cloth, and purchase it at Bombay or the local agents of textile mills at Bombay. The sale of superfine, mercerised or woollen fabrics is less. Male members use shirts, dhoti, cap or turban and trousers; while females use sari, lugade, blouse or choli. Sale of Banarasi shaloos or khans is restricted to the marriage season. Among hosiery, the cotton varieties are generally sold, while sale of woollen varieties is limited.

Retail shops of cloth are of small size except those at towns like Panvel, Pen, Mahad and Alibag. Their stock-in-trade may vary from Rs. 300 to Rs. 8,000.

Pan, Bidi and Tobacco.

They are very small units providing employment to one person or two. Pan, bidi, cigarettes, snuff, cheap cigars, chewing tobacco, betel-nuts, catechu (kath) and sometimes confectionery are sold in these shops. The stock-in-trade is obtained from local wholesale dealers. Sale of pan with Poona masala is common in this district. Better quality cigarettes are found only in the urban shops.

Stationery, Cutlery and Bangles.

Shops falling in this group sell toilet articles, bangles, hosiery, pencils, inks, nibs, fountain pens, cutlery and provision goods. Almost all the goods are brought from Bombay, though the small ones purchase them from the dealers in the towns in this district. Value of goods stored by the smaller and the bigger shops may vary from Rs. 300 to Rs. 10,000. Sales decline during periods of vacations and go up in the months of June and July when educational institutions re_open.

Footwear and Leather goods.

Shops selling chappals, boots, suit-cases, handbags, straps, leather and accessories of shoe-making are few in number in this district and are restricted to towns like Panvel, Pen, Alibag, Mahad and Karjat. The shoemakers make shoes, chappals and vahans, and go on selling from place to place. Sales at the weekly bazars are, however, most common. They purchase leather at the local bazars. The footwear dealers bring their goods mainly from Bombay, Poona and Kolhapur. The footwear made from sambar leather by the shoemakers at Matheran is a fancy variety but well-made and comfortable.

Cycle Shops.

There is a good number of shops dealing in bicyles, cycle accessories and repairs. Only a few of them deal in new bicycles, while most of them sell cycle accessories, do repairs and give bicycles on hire. New bicycles are brought from Bombay by the wholesalers. Their business is dull during the rainy season.

Sweets and Eatables.

Sweetmeat shops sell pedha, barfi, bundiladu, jilebi, chivda, sev, bhajis. Some of them sell milk, curd, chakka, shrikhand, cakes and biscuits. They are mainly owned by the confectioners. Stock-in-trade of an average shop is about Rs. 300 to Rs. 800. They purchase their equipment and material either locally or from the weekly bazars.

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