THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With barely a week left for the start of another academic year, school markets are waiting with a variety of merchandise for students.This time, cartoon-printed bags having kids’ favourites Ben 10, Barbie, Angry Birds, Spiderman and Dora appear to rule the roost. For the imported variety of those bags, the prices range between Rs 200 and Rs 6,000 depending on the size in various shops. Whereas, the Indian-made bags are available for below Rs 500.“The cartoon-printed bags are fetched from China and Thailand. A majority of the customers are taking it for their children studying in primary classes. The sales that usually touch the peak in the last week of May may this time may extend to the first few days of June as a majority of schools reopen only on June 4,” says Anil Sebastian, director of Dianby Kids World, Vazhuthacaud.Imported trolley bags also have takers and are available for between ` 1,190 and ` 1,290. “Many parents are demanding quality material. Bags having a warranty are preferred by them,” says Najeem K K, sales executive at Sylcon, Statue Junction. When it comes to umbrellas, the impact of advertisements seems to have influenced the little takers. “Kids who come to the shop ask for an umbrella mentioning the brand name. Brands like John’s and Popy are much in demand,” says V Ravikumar, partner of Chellam Umbrella Mart, Pazhavangadi.Popular brands are available from ` 295 to ` 410. Imported ones too are available in this category. But here, the price is not going to burn a hole in the pockets as they are available at ` 295, the same price of the local brands. The response from parents shows that though the prices of many essential merchandise for students have increased, they are not ready to make any compromise on quality. “My daughter in second grade has a fascination towards colourful cartoons. If we go and buy materials at low cost to save a few rupees, the quality of the stuff may not be satisfactory. If we can maintain an estimate, the prices may not be a big issue,” says R Divia from Kowdiar. “This time, I decided to try shopping in online marts so that we could avail branded materials at a low cost. If the material is not satisfactory, there is also a provision to return and get our money back,” says Reena Mary from Poojappura.
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