At snail’s pace: The tech no one wants to touch any more

Desktops and LCD monitor sales, albeit understandably, at an all-time low

PESHAWAR:

Not all see Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s laptop scheme for students as a blessing; especially a certain shopkeeper in the popular Gul Haji Plaza.

“Our business is dependent on students and the government is continuously distributing laptops among university and college kids,” says Rasheed who is the only desktop computer retailer in the plaza.



While the majority of businessmen in the plaza are turning their attention to selling laptops, tablets and smartphones, Rasheed remains steadfast in his resolve to stick to the roots. He believes the demand for laptops is not astronomical and the idea of selling such computers does not appeal to him.

The good ole desktop

There was a time when the famous Gul Haji Plaza of Peshawar was jam packed with customers who were buying desktop computers and LCD monitors like they were hotcakes, he adds. The shopkeeper contends that power outages are another reason for the decline in computer sales.

“At least 30% of our customers are from rural areas where electricity is only around for two to four hours a day,” he says.  “Smartphones and tablets with good battery life are decent alternatives for the average computer user,” explains Rasheed, answering his own business conundrum.

The only business coming forth for Rasheed and his brother is through offices and educational institutions as laptops can’t replace desktops in their establishments. He has several arguments supporting his decision to stick with desktops, but in reality the shopkeeper’s business is on the verge of collapse. Selling just a piece or two simply won’t cut it.

From behemoth to struggling business

Also suffering badly as a result of this change in consumer habits is Muhammad Ayaz who works at Cosmo Computers which sells LCD monitors. Since he has little work, the man spends most of his day watching cricket.

“The LCD monitor business has decreased by 95% and we are here just to while away the day,” says Ayaz who is a salesman at the largest store in Gul Haji Plaza. “A few years ago, we would sell an entire container full of LCDs every second day,” he says. “At the moment, last year’s stock is still in the warehouse.” Now he only sells a monitor or two a day.

Ayaz has been working in the same shop for 14 years but now fears for his job as the owner is cutting back on staff. “First we were 52 workers in the shop, but now only eight of them are left. The rest have lost their jobs.”

Owner of such shops are considering winding up their businesses because they are not making enough to pay rent, he said. The salesman says he can’t sell smartphones because nobody else in the five-storey building deals in them.

He believes such a switch will leave the shop owner without any customers.  His shop remains the only one dealing in LCDs in the plaza, while other businessmen have switched to laptops or other electronic gadgets including CCTV cameras, printers, multimedia devices and scanners.

Ayaz and his colleague Faizur Rehman blame smartphones for the change in their fortunes. Others say the introduction of 3G and 4G technologies is responsible for the slump in sales.

“Electricians and computer technicians have also evolved with the times,” says Tahir Khan, a technician at the plaza. “Those lagging behind ultimately lose their jobs.”

The handyman can fix anything related to computers, but is now considering training in Karachi or Lahore for smartphones and tablet repairs.

Monitors and desktops have all but vanished from the plaza and LCDs are in limited supply, he says.

As commendable as sticking to their roots is, some shopkeepers in the plaza perhaps need to rethink business strategy and change with the times before years of hard work goes down the tube.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 20^th, 2015.