September 21, 2025

A spicy wave of price cuts is rolling into stores across India right now! This is all thanks to the government's GST revamp, set to kick in from Monday, September 25. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a cool change: nearly 99% of goods taxed earlier at 12% GST will now get the sweet deal of 5%. That means yummy butter, cheese, chocolates, salty snacks, and many more goodies will become cheaper. But hold your horses – the excitement began early! Brands and retailers did not want to wait till Monday to cash in on happy buyers. Famous ice cream brand Baskin Robbins, owned by Graviss Foods, is already billing all products with the lower 5% GST, said Mohit Khattar, their CEO. Their shops flash new digital prices right near the counters to attract customers. Big grocery names too are jumping on this price-drop train. A senior personal care company executive said, "Some of our large packs with lower prices are already visible at retailers, and we will escalate this over the weekend. This is to ensure that our products with lower prices are in stores on September 22 morning." Companies are so confident they’re even ready to absorb some of the cost difference themselves! Top players like Procter & Gamble (P&G), Hindustan Unilever (HUL), L’Oréal, ITC, and Britannia have announced fresh, slashed prices through newspapers and social media. P&G cut prices on shampoos like Head & Shoulders and Pantene, diapers Pampers, Gillette shaving cream, Old Spice deodorant, and Vicks decongestant. HUL’s price cuts include Dove and Clinic shampoos, Bru coffee, Kissan jam, and popular soaps like Lux and Lifebuoy. Retailers across the National Capital Region see these discounted bigger packs arriving fast. A distributor shared, "Packs with reduced prices have started arriving at retail stores; this is especially true in case of larger packs, which could be bought over the weekend itself before the big GST week kicks in." Even online quick grocery sellers like Swiggy Instamart are stealing the show. CEO Amitesh Jha revealed they are "unlocking GST savings early," starting Saturday with attractive discounts. New player Amazon Now is also tempting buyers with a "Rs 25,000 annual savings" campaign and cash backs up to Rs 200. The government has now fashioned GST into just three slabs: 5%, 18%, and 40%. The 5% slab covers most daily essentials. The 18% slab applies to many other products and services. The big spenders like luxury items and 'sin' goods such as aerated drinks and tobacco sit at the highest 40% slab. Companies are hoping these GST benefits will fuel a fresh burst of buying after five slow quarters hit by rising prices. Sudhir Sitapati, Managing Director of Godrej Consumer Products, makers of Cinthol soap, said, "Consumption has been a bit soft for a few years, but the combination of income tax and GST measures will boost growth across sectors." He added the good news doesn’t just stop for categories with lower GST. "Even categories where GST has not been reduced will see an uptick, as the overall available spend on consumption and discretionary expenses goes up," he explained. For retailers and manufacturers, this transition is made easier by guidelines allowing them to keep old packaging till March 31, 2026, without relabelling. Manoj Mishra from Grant Thornton Bharat said this simplifies costs and compliance and "will also ensure transparency for consumers at the retail level and acknowledge on-ground realities." So, get your shopping lists ready! The price party has begun early, and the countdown to Monday is full of discount delight. From ice cream to soaps, tasty snacks to shampoos, your favorite products are getting sweeter and friendlier on your pocket post-GST slashing magic!

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Tags: Gst rates, Consumer goods, Price reductions, Big brands, Shopping, Sales boost,