The government may not admit it, or even refuse to acknowledge it, but there seem to be enough apprehensions around the GST launch. What else explains the unseasonal deals on consumer durables suddenly. Unlike Auto firms, who have tried to use the new tax regime as yet another opportunity to entice buyers with miserable little offers on slow moving vehicles, there are some real opportunities in the white goods category on popular items. This has mainly been done due to incomplete compliance down the chain for white goods manufacturers, making a lot of them opt for getting rid of stock, at rates that will surprise.
Consider this.An Electrolux 1.5 tonne split AC, available earlier for Rs 44,990 is now available at Vijay Sales for Rs 28,990. Similarly, a Godrej 5 Star Split Ac of 1.5 tonnes, has been marked down from Rs 45,000 to Rs 31,990. Windows ACs, now in their final journey to oblivion, offer up some good options too, with a Voltas 1.5 ton 3 Star version that was going for Rs 28,190, now available at Rs 23,500. And it doesn’t stop there. Firms like Panasonic are happy to throw in free installation if that is what it takes to help you make up your mind faster.
And the offers run across categories. In Washing Machines, for instance, a premium IFB Front Loading, 7 kg washing machine is going for Rs 37,990, instead of its list price of Rs 48,980. A Godrej top loading machine with similar capacity is available atRs 17,230, rather than the sticker price of RS 23,570.
For people looking to upgrade, this could be a particularly good opportunity in refrigerators too. LG’s side by side refrigerator over 600-litre capacity, listed till last month at Rs 119,000 is now available at Rs 80,000 odd. For the budget conscious, Videocon’s side by side 618-litre option, earlier listed at Rs 69990, is now available under Rs 50,000.
TVs are no laggards too. A Samsung 49 inch Smart TV, earlier going for Rs 82,500 is now yours for Rs 67,400. In the economy segment, a Videocon 39 inch regular LED, available earlier for Rs 32,990, is now going for 27,051.
It’s the same story across online portals including Amazon and Flipkart. With news reports mentioning that almost 1/3rd of suppliers are not yet GST compliant, it might be an excellent idea to look for deals there too, as sellers look to get rid of stock before GST kicks in.
All in all, while GST might bring in a lot of uncertainty, it has indeed thrown consumers a sweetener in the form of these offers just before launch, and if you are in the market for these products, we would strongly recommend that you take advantage of these.