Sharp rise in price of stationery items,likely to get costlier

The cost of items like pencils,erasers and notebooks has risen by nearly seven to ten percent. A box of pencils that cost Rs 25 earlier is now priced at Rs 30. Similarly,a pack of pencils priced at Rs 30 is now being sold at Rs 40.

“The increase is significant but parents do not seem to have a problem. They have not objected to buying books which cost anything between Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000. Also,government offices reimburse the cost for stationery without much delay or objection,” says a bookseller in Sector 19.

Booksellers add that in some cases,the manufacturers have cleverly reduced the number of pages while not increasing the price.

A notebook that used to cost Rs 20 till sometime back is now priced at Rs 30. “Some brands such as Expressions have not increased the rate but reduced the number of pages. This way the buyer does not feel the pinch but at the same time they are unaware that at the same price,they are getting less number of pages,” says a stationer in Sector 22.

Meanwhile,the prices of pens have remained constant due to the rising competition in the segment.

“A good pen does not cost more than Rs 10 these days. With so many brands available in the market,one is spoilt for choice,” remarks another bookseller in Sector 15.

He adds that only premium brands in pens have increased their prices by 15 to 20 per cent.