With the monsoon season just around the corner, dealers selling raincoats and umbrellas are fully prepared to welcome customers. Major markets in areas like Gandhi Bagh, Itwari, Sadar, Gokulpeth, and Sakkardhara are now buzzing with a fresh stock of colourful and stylish rain gear. Traders are offering a wide variety of choices, ranging from handy foldable umbrellas for women to new raincoat designs for men and cartoon-printed options for children. The biggest highlight in the market this year is the introduction of smart electric umbrellas, which have arrived in the city for the first time. These high-tech umbrellas are made from premium windproof and waterproof fabric, making them useful not just for the rains, but for summer and winter as well. Vikas Chourasia, one of the dealers, explained that these umbrellas come with rechargeable batteries, allowing users to open and close them effortlessly with the single push of a button. He noted that many customers, particularly women, are showing a lot of interest in this automatic feature. These premium, battery-operated umbrellas are priced between Rs 4,000 and Rs 4,500 each. For shoppers looking for traditional options, there is plenty of variety available at more affordable rates.

 

Small, fancy umbrellas for children start at Rs 120, while standard umbrellas for adults start at Rs 150. Regular raincoats are also widely available with prices starting at Rs 250. Shopkeepers report that the colourful kids’ raincoats and reasonably priced small umbrellas are already seeing good demand from parents. However, these products are slightly more expensive this year, as prices for raincoats and umbrellas have gone up by 10-12 per cent compared to last season.

 

Shopkeepers were initially expecting a modest increase of around 7-8 per cent, but global supply disruptions caused by the recent conflict in West Asia pushed prices beyond their expectations. Despite the hike, traders view price fluctuations as a normal yearly trend and remain optimistic about their profits. While the market is set, overall sales is yet to pick up pace. Even so, shopkeepers are already seeing a steady flow of office going customers and early buyers coming in to prepare for the wet weather. Sellers remain highly positive about the season and expect crowds to grow rapidly as soon as the first rains hit the region.