, Columnist
Magic Prices Did Warn of India’s Sticky Inflation
Easy-to-remember retail prices are important to both budget-conscious consumers and brands. When a 10-rupee detergent starts selling for 12, policy makers are already looking at entrenched inflation.
Tight budgets.
Photographer: Punit Paranjpe/AFP/Getty Images
This article is for subscribers only.
If it really wanted to get ahead of the inflation challenge, India’s central bank should have paid more attention to Surf Excel.
The price of the laundry detergent went up by 20% in January. While that’s hardly news when most everyday things are becoming dearer everywhere, the interesting part was the retail price before the change: 10 rupees (13 US cents) for a bar.