A walk through Pettah : Shopping trends and economic hopes-by Jonathan Frank
Source:Sundayobserver
Millions of Sri Lankans are looking forward to this year’s festive season as the country recovers from its financial crisis. Even though it is yet late November, commerce is in high spirits and some Pettah traders are starting to bring out the tinsel and toys.
The rugged porters yelled at pedestrians as they carted goods through the byzantine streets, just as they always had – even a hundred years ago.
M. Farook is a street hawker selling Christmas trees near the Gas Works junction. Although people are going through tough times, he is optimistic about the new Government. “The ‘politician’ has always been a selfish creature, but now we are seeing change where everybody can live and work in harmony. We have a good President; let’s hope that future Christmases will be more abundant”.
The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) will launch a program to raid wholesalers and warehouses from next week to check substandard and expired products from entering the market in the upcoming festive season.
A spokesman for the CAA said that special attention will be given to retail stores, mobile vendors and supermarkets. The Authority will also monitor essential goods, clothes, durable goods and electronics that are in high demand during the festive season. During this period, a special team will be deployed to raid shops and and consumers can complain to the CAA via the 1977 hotline.
Hopeful
The CEO of Divolca Electric, Dhammika Samarawickrama is also hopeful about the new Government and said that their policies are favourable to entrepreneurs and industrialists. “We hope to get more benefits by the end of this year. The talks with the IMF were positive and we believe that the depreciating dollar will drive up consumption during the festive season”.
Samarawickrama said that public morale is high and businesses are experiencing a boom in this quarter with the change in Government. “This is because we were expecting a huge shift for the better and citizens are hopeful that this can be sustained. The Government has to begin to settle its loans by 2028, so this administration has made adjustments for that.”
He said that consumers are inclined to shop for reasonable prices and that they will buy more if it fits their budget. “According to sales research, consumers tend to buy more electronic items such as phones, laptops or TVs during this festive season since they get bonuses at this time of the year and there are discounts on such items. It’s more like an investment”.
Commodity culture
Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales marks the festive shopping season in the United States and coincides with Thanksgiving weekend. Although Thanksgiving is purely an American holiday, Black Fridays and Cyber Mondays have become immensely popular around the world; even making its way into Sri Lankan consumer culture.
A Marxist economist, Dr. Kalpa Rajapaksha said that backward capitalist countries replicate development trends of advanced industrial nations. He said, “When you are creating an enormous amount of surplus you have to find new grounds to sell them.”
Festivals, cultural practices, and even modern phenomena such as Comic Cons are co-opted as tools to channel surplus commodities, demonstrating how consumerism adapts to local contexts.
Dr. Rajapaksha said that there is a class of consumers in Sri Lanka who wish to emulate the consumer habits in the West and that social media and digital platforms are vital in expanding these markets. “The vortex of commodities creates a digital value system, driven significantly by platform and digital capitalism.”
He also highlighted the shift from durable goods to planned obsolescence as a cornerstone of modern industrial capitalism. “There’s a blender in my mother’s house, 20 years old that still works. But now, durability is no longer a concern — commodity culture thrives on creating goods with shorter lifespan.”
Pettah is also famous for its flea market, particularly the hawkers selling electronics on 1st Cross Street.
Rizwan specialises in knock-offs and branded electronics and has been doing his street business for seven years. “One way we are losing foreign exchange is because we import cheap stuff like this,” he said, pointing at the fakes. “We try to warn our customers but they are thrifty. But look, I also have all the branded stuff right here that you find at a showroom”.
Rizwan said that he wants to sell the best to his customers. “The current generation knows what a quality product is. Cheap stuff simply makes our lives cheap. It’s usually the people from far-flung corners who come through Pettah who look for bargains.”
There are consumers who feel the pinch. Shan, expressed frustration while shopping for stuffed animals. I asked him how the festive shopping was going and he said that prices of essentials are unbearable. “I work abroad and I personally don’t trust any Government. I always believe in providing for myself. Let’s face it; no Government ever supports us. But I believe this new Government may create some change”.
Economic situation
He said that the economic situation is quite dangerous. “Eggs and onions are expensive. They promised some relief but that hasn’t been done as yet. Every Government makes promises to get votes. Now look what happened to the price of rice”.
As Pettah provides a panorama of commerce, it also a zeitgeist of the country; with cautious optimism expressed by traders and consumers alike – the festive season marks transition and celebrations.
While there are signs of recovery and optimism, economic disparities and consumer pressures underline the fragility of this progress. For lasting change, the Government must balance immediate relief measures with sustainable policies that address systemic economic challenges, ensuring inclusive benefits for all citizens.
