The demand and price of indoor games have seen a dramatic increase since lockdown started in the city from March 23 as people find different ways to keep themselves busy.
During a market survey in the Gulshan-e-Iqbal and Gulistan-e-Jauhar areas, it was found out thattThree indoor games were proving to be popular: Ludo, carrom board and sequence card games.
Abdul Mannan and Abdul Hannan, two brothers running a toy shop in Gulshan-e-Iqbal told the survey team that they are currently selling these three games in large numbers. Mannan says the price of a cardboard Ludo has doubled. The regular rate is Rs80, but it is being sold for Rs150 these days. He said there are four cardboard Ludo categories available at different prices: Rs150, Rs250, Rs500 and Rs650. “There is an increase of Rs50 to Rs100 for each type because of the high demand,” he said.
Hannan said the price of a 2×2 carrom board has increased from Rs1,300 to Rs2,200, while a 3×3 size carrom board is not available even for Rs3,000. A sequence card game is costs Rs1,150. The old price was Rs900. Hannan said supply is short because Light House and Bolton markets are closed. Muhammad Kamran, who runs a toy shop on Rashid Minhas Road, said there is limited stock since the markets have been closed for the last 25 days. He said the demand also increases during summers every year when children are home for summer vacations. A wholesaler, Abdul Rauf, supplying indoor games from home, said the closure of markets has left them with no choice but to increase prices.
“There is a major gap between the demand and supply of indoor games,” he said. A software engineer, Osama Zahid, told the survey team that he is at home for the last three weeks and spends four to five hours playing Ludoand Carrom with his children and other family members. “It is a unique experience. Indoor games help us pass the time at home during these days,” he said.
