How we choose 600 items on our August trip to Sivakasi
Two weeks, forty units visited and a field of test lighting: how Hetal and Jignesh build each year’s range.
Visiting our Maninagar store in October
Token numbers, the sample shelf and the quiet hours: what to expect when you come to the counter in Diwali week.
In the three weeks before Diwali, our six shops on Kankaria Road see more people in a day than they do in a month the rest of the year. A first visit can feel chaotic, so here is how it actually works.
At the entrance, Jignesh or one of the team gives you a token and a printed price list. While you wait, walk the sample shelf along the back wall, where one of every item is on display with its price, duration and a small card saying whether it is a green item. Mark what you want on the list with the pen tied to the counter. If you already sent your list on WhatsApp, show the estimate number instead and skip the queue.
When your token is called, the counter staff read your list back, total it and take payment by UPI. Packing happens in the back room, and a double carton for a ₹5,000 order usually takes 15 to 20 minutes in peak week. You check the boxes against the list at the collection window before you leave.
The quietest hours are 10 am to noon on weekdays. Evenings after seven and the two Sundays before Diwali are the busiest, with waits of up to an hour. Parking on Kankaria Road is tight, so a two-wheeler or auto is easier, and we can deliver free in Ahmedabad above ₹3,000 if you would rather not carry it home. Please leave children with someone at home if you can; the shop is no place for small hands in October.
