No Slump In TASMAC Sales
The sale of snacks at bars attached to the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) run liquor shops continues to be brisk. The skyrocketing prices of essential commodities seem to have only a marginal impact on sales. The business volume remains unchanged, say people who run the bars. Only a negligible section of customers at the bars have chosen to switch over to vegetarian snacks.“Some of the regular customers point out that the spending on liquor or the snacks continued to remain the same despite spiralling costs,” says R. Jaykumar, who works in a private firm. A few customers, however, have taken to cucumber salads, boiled groundnuts and fried cashew that cost from Rs.7 to Rs.10, instead of chicken and mutton, which cost up to Rs. 40. Officials in TASMAC say there is no slump in the off-take of liquor. Because of the competitive tenders, the bar owners had already factored a cost cushion in pricing these commodities. “I used to procure ten to 13 kg of meat earlier. Now with customers opting for more of vegetarian items, I have staggered the meat purchase,” says Vellaiyan who runs one of the TASMAC bars.
