Chennai: The arrival of the year-end is always marked by calendars and diaries of the new year which are sold and mostly given as gifts.
But with the advancement in technology, a few vendors in the city said their sales have gone down considerably.
Abdullah, a trader from Broadway, said, “Diary business has been on the decline for the past few years, especially after the increase in mobile phones. Earlier, people used to buy diaries to make note of things to be reminded later. Now, this is done using mobile phones. The habit of writing diaries is also a thing of the past as most people use social media to create and share memories,” he said.
A few vendors in the city said their business took a hit with the December 2015 floods and has since not recovered.
“Last year the devastation caused in the Kanyakumari region due to Ockhi cyclone also affected our business. Mostly, people from that belt order diaries and calendars as return gift for Christmas which was not the case last year. Similarly, this year, Cyclone Gaja has wreaked havoc not just for the people in the delta districts but also indirectly affected our business,” said Rajendran, a vendor from Parry’s Corner.
He also said earlier, many corporate companies used to give bulk orders for calendars; however, this has reduced in the past few years.
Though wholesale dealers seem to be struggling, retailers are not much affected as they see normal business.
“We stock only a considerable number of diaries and calendars and order new goods only after the old ones are sold. Daily calendars are not selling much these days: however, monthly calendars are still being bought by many. With a few more days left for the year to end, we are hoping to see a rise in sales,” said Kumaran, a shopkeeper in Tambaram.
Sources said the diary and calendar business witnessed a loss of about 30 per cent last year after the implementation of GST.