Customers at P&M Mall (top) and a shop at Patna Market lacks customers even during the wedding season. Pictures by Jai Prakash

The traditional markets in the city are steadily losing ground to their swankier counterparts in shopping malls.

Call it the advent of globalisation or the burgeoning middle class with expendable income, the majority of buyers nowadays prefer shopping within the air-conditioned confines of the super markets.

For some customers, the traditional bazaars such as Patna Market, Hathwa Market and Khetan Market are outdated and short of contemporary fashion. For others, a visit to these old stores means bargaining with the shopkeeper or walking through dirty streets and lack of proper vehicle parking zones.

Anita Sinha, a homemaker and a resident of Krishnapuri find malls and marketing complexes convenient in terms of communication. “It is difficult for me to shop in the narrow lanes of Ashok Rajpath. All the traditional markets are on the same road. Traffic snarls compound our woes.”

She added: “The shopkeepers at the traditional markets just want to sell their products, while the store owners at the malls believe in customer satisfaction. Before the advent of these supermarkets and malls, the shopkeepers of the traditional markets used to overprice their products.”

Like Anita, other homemakers, too, prefer to visit malls and super marts. Sarita Singh (68), a retired government employee claimed that the quality of the products at traditional market has deteriorated. “Five years back, my shopping list would come to an end only if I visited Hathwa Market. But now they have compromised on quality,” said Sarita, a Kankerbagh resident.

BN College student Pratibha is part of the new middle-class that looks for a comfortable shopping experience with the lure of special offers. “At the malls, there’s more choice, better products and one is sure that the products are fresh. Who knows for how long products have been stored at the small shops?” said Pratibha, pushing a trolley at a mall.

“It is not that the middle-class people can afford going to malls or super marts. It is about the price, quality and quantity. Owing to inflation, I have to visit markets that offer good products at reasonable prices,” said Ankit Singhania, a chartered accountant.

The shopkeepers of the traditional markets, too, believe the customers have dwindled owing to the mushrooming supermarkets and malls in the capital. “We stock garments that match the demands and requirement of the customers. However, there are a few buyers who still believe in traditional markets,” said Farooque, a garment shopkeeper at Patna Market.

On the fear of losing their handful of customers, Shazid, a footwear dealer at Hathwa Market said: “Of course I am scared. The markets are packed only during festivals. The super markets also give out attractive discounts. We, too, have started giving offers.”

Some, however, are unaffected by the craze. “At the traditional markets, one is free to negotiate on the price. It depends on your relationship with the shopkeeper. There are a few things you won’t get in super markets or malls,” said Fahtima, who still shops at the traditional market.