Shopping districts such as Brickfields’ Little India in Kuala Lumpur and Tengku Kelana in Klang, Selangor, are abuzz with colourful decorations, festive clothes and stalls selling a variety of murukku and an assortment of traditional sweets.
From preparing festive treats and cleaning the house to shopping for the family, there is something wonderfully chaotic about the season that many of us can relate to.
For Indian businesses, this is also one of the busiest times of the year.
I know this from experience, having helped out at my sister’s shop during the Deepavali shopping rush when foot traffic increases almost tenfold regardless of rain, haze or heat.
But while the excitement is understandable, the annual shopping frenzy can sometimes bring out the worst in people.
Here are some of the things I have witnessed over the years.
The moment shop shutters go up, groups of shoppers, often entire families, begin streaming in.
Everyone seems to be in a hurry, grabbing clothes and accessories before their preferred sizes or colours sell out.
It can be overwhelming for the sales assistants, who are expected to attend to several customers at once, each convinced that their needs deserve priority.
Then there are the fitting rooms. Most stores have only one or two, yet some shoppers seem to regard them as their personal changing suites.
They leave clothes and handbags inside to reserve the space while continuing to browse the racks, seemingly oblivious to the queue of people waiting outside.
Some customers arrive with photographs of the latest designs they have seen online, expecting the store to carry exactly the same items at precisely the same prices.
I have watched sales assistants patiently explain the difference between running a physical shop, with its rental, staffing and other operating costs, and selling online.
Meanwhile, I cannot help but wonder: if the item is available online at a cheaper price, why not buy it there instead?
There are also customers who refuse to take no for an answer when told that a particular kurti is not available in their size.
Despite the sales assistant’s advice that it will not fit, they insist on trying it on, only to return it sheepishly after discovering the inevitable.
Sometimes clothes come back with missing buttons, snagged fabric or broken zips, leaving the shop to bear the consequences.
In the middle of the shopping chaos, some customers misplace their phones or wallets and immediately demand that sales assistants stop what they are doing and call the manager to review security footage.
Of course, anyone can misplace their belongings in a crowded place, especially amid the excitement of festive shopping.
But a little care and patience would go a long way in preventing unnecessary disruptions, particularly when shop staff are already stretched to their limit.
Then there is what I consider one of the most unforgivable sights during the festive rush in a clothing store: shoppers walking in with freshly applied henna on their hands.
I have always wondered what goes through people’s minds when they enter a crowded shop, assuring everyone that they intend only to look and not touch anything.
Watching them move between tightly packed clothing racks can be nerve-racking, especially when one accidental bump or stumble could leave a beautiful outfit stained.
And who can forget the arguments? I once heard two shoppers getting into a heated exchange over the same saree.
What should have been an ordinary shopping trip turned into a dispute over who had spotted the piece first.
It might sound amusing – until it escalates into a shouting match.
I have not even begun to address the parking situation.
Some motorists leave their cars blocking shop entrances, driveways or other vehicles, insisting that they will be away for only five minutes.
Those five minutes can easily stretch into half an hour or more.
Such thoughtlessness can spoil the shopping experience for everyone else.
After all, most of us head out to buy something beautiful for our loved ones, enjoy the festive atmosphere and return home with a little more joy than when we left.
Instead, we find ourselves dealing with rude people, unnecessary arguments, obstructed entrances and litter left behind at busy bazaars.
The irony is hard to miss.
Deepavali is widely celebrated as the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil.
Yet, year after year, the festive rush brings familiar scenes of tempers flaring, people disregarding others and common courtesy being forgotten in the scramble to complete tasks.
Of course, most shoppers are not simply being difficult.
Many are juggling work, family commitments, household preparations and a long list of things to get done before Deepavali.
The crowds, heat and traffic do little to improve anyone’s mood.
But that is precisely why we need to be more considerate of one another.
Being mindful of others while in the fitting room, exhibiting patience while finding the right outfit, offering a polite word to a sales assistant or even asking if they have eaten are small gestures, but they can make a considerable difference.
Perhaps the most meaningful gift we can give one another this Deepavali is not another box of sweets or a new outfit, but something that costs nothing and should never go out of fashion: a little courtesy.
