Bhojan Bhatt Bhartiya: This festive season, Mumbai consumed 200% more sugar than its average!
Mumbai is going to need some additional jogging tracks if it is to start shedding the extra calories consumed this festive season. A recent study conducted by EkStop.com on its 6,000 strong customer base showed that Mumbaikars didn’t shy away from the season’s excesses. Here is what we’ve been up to in the run up to Diwali and beyond!
First we clean those homes: Cleaning out our homes is probably top priority before the festive season but in classic Mumbai style, we think of this about 5 minutes before we should be starting our cleaning! In the 10 days prior to Diwali, EkStop.com saw a massive 60% jump in sales of cleaning agents such as Lizol, Harpic, Colin etc. You’d think we were cleaning our homes thrice a day!
- Then we stay in them longer: Clearly, all that cleaning takes time and so Mumbai stayed home! Delivery requests for time slots 12pm-2pm and 5pm-7pm increased by 30% compared to our usual 9-11am and 8-10pm slots that working professionals tend to prefer. Read on to know why!
- But let’s not fool ourselves, we had other plans tooJ: Sure cleaning was a priority, but let’s face it, festivals are about sugar highs! No cheene kum here as Mumbai’s sugar consumption spiked by a staggering 200% from an average purchase of 2.5kg to 7.5kg this Diwali! This was coupled with a 60-80% increase in besan and maida purchases. Store bought mithai? No, thanks said Mumbai!
- And then we repent some: In what we think might be an (somewhat feeble) attempt to make up for our excesses, we did see a 30% spike in sales of healthy foods and snacks. EkStop’s ratio of Coke to Diet Coke sales is 15:1 in a typical month. This festive season we saw that ratio change to 15:3.
- But through it all, we keep our eye on the prize, A GOOD BARGAIN: A 30% increase in site traffic on EkStop.com during special discounts tells us that like every good Indian, Mummaikars love a good deal too! A Rs. 29/kg sugar deal and a “Buy 1 Get 1”promotion on Amul, Nestle and Haldirams gift packs were a mega-hit; we had to restock after every two days to catch up on demand.
- Thoda khao, thoda gift karo: But lastly, the festive season is also about spreading the sugar high and calories as Mumbaikars on average purchased 4 gift packs in the 10 days running up to Diwali!
The moral of the story: Mumbai is a city that leaves no stone unturned in making the most of the festive season. But our busy lives often leave us making a last minute dash for everything! Online grocery shopping has definitely come to its rescue in more ways than one. And we still have Christmas and New Years to come!
