Pune: Vishwanath Bhosle, who owns a small shop selling tea and snacks in Fatima Nagar, has lived all his life in Pune. However, this is the first time the 49-year-old has felt the need to buy a cooler — a local-made one costing Rs2,500.“I find it very strange that I have had to buy this machine in Pune. The city was not this hot before,” said Bhosle. He explained that the cooler has been bought for the comfort of his newborn grandchild. “My son recently became a father. The baby was unable to sleep due to the heat. The table fans that we had were not of much help,” he told TOI.Though the bigger electronic shops claim that the cooler and air conditioner sales are soaring, for those who cannot afford the expensive and high-maintenance branded goods, low-cost coolers are a big attraction.And the smaller electronics shops are reaping the benefits. “My electronics shop is small and mainly caters to the middle and low-income groups. The coolers here are priced between Rs1,000 and Rs5,000,” said Anil Jadhav, a shop owner.Presence of bigger shops in the neighbourhood has not dampened his business. “A little ahead of my shop is an outlet of Reliance Digital. However, in the last four days alone, I have sold as many as 80 units. This is an all-time high,” Jadhav added.Tinay Shushad, who owns Ambey Distributors in the Budhwar Path electronic market, said, “I am mainly a distributor. In the last week or so, I have sent more than 1,500 units of coolers to different shops. Last year, the sales started much later. But this year is different. We expect the sales to go much higher and stay there until mid-May.” Talking about what is in demand, he said that coolers made of metal are sought-after as they are said to be more effective.“The other day, I went to a branded store. Most of the coolers there were priced between Rs 8,000 and Rs16,000 or even more. The cheaper ones there were not very effective. So, I decided to buy a metal-framed cooler. Many of my friends too said that these coolers perform better,” said Raju Om Kadlag, who has been living in Kausarbaug for the past 15 years.“I have never used a cooler in Pune before. This time, however, the heat is unbearable and nights are extremely uncomfortable,” he said.A representative of the Reliance Digital branch at the Amanora Mall said many units of coolers and air conditioners have been sold.“A number cannot be given as it is against our policy, but considering that the summer has just begun, the sales have been unprecedented,” he said.Nishant Singh, who lives with two of his friends on rent in an apartment at Koregaon Park, said they had requested their Mumbai-based landlord to allow them to install an air conditioner.“The flat owner, who is basically from Pune, was very surprised. But we told him of the conditions here. We have talked to many people who have been living in the city. They all say that the city never really needed a cooler or an air conditioner before. Our landlord has been kind enough to agree and we plan on buying an air conditioner this week,” Nishant said.

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