With increasing inflation, citizens belonging to the middle and lower middle classes are feeling the pinch. This invariably leads to families curtailing the expenditure on luxuries. To mitigate the impact of inflation on the sale of expensive Devgad Hapus, a fruit seller in Pune has floated the idea of selling the tasty Alphonso on equated monthly instalments (EMIs). Gaurav Sanas, the owner of Green Mangoes in Pune’s Anand Nagar, is urging the lovers of Alphonso to swipe away their financial worries and enjoy the king of fruits to their hearts’ content. Sanas has installed point-of-sale (POS) machines of a financial technology company which allows him to convert the bill amount into three to 18 EMIs on a range of credit cards and some debit cards. “For many families, fruits like Devgad Hapus are a luxury as they are an expensive bargain. I have observed that people who want to buy these premium mangoes often cut down on the quantity or withhold from buying owing to financial considerations. Hence, when PayTM people approached me with the POS machines which had the option of converting the sale bill to EMIs at a nominal cost, I saw an opportunity there,” Sanas told The Indian Express. As per Sanas, a box of Devgad Hapus costs about Rs 4,000 (priced at Rs 600 to 1,300 a dozen). A buyer who does not want to pay the amount upfront, can choose to pay that amount in six EMIs of Rs 700, including the cost of the conversion charged by the bank. The promotion plan, although launched only Tuesday, has already started working. As per Sanas, two customers have already swiped their cards – one bought mangoes worth Rs 30,000. “People from bigger families buy several boxes of Alphonso mangoes. So, this customer of mine swiped the card for Rs 30,000 and took away a few boxes. The remaining amount will remain with me so that he can pick up the mangoes whenever he wants,” said Sanas, who has been in the business for 12 years and specialises in selling the Devgad Hapus. Mangoes enjoy great demand in Maharashtra, especially in the period between Gudi Padwa and Akshaya Tritiya. This year, owing to untimely rain, the harvest of the fruit was said to be lower than average and hence prices have remained higher than usual.
