Sky-high food inflation after erratic monsoon rains damaged crops and disrupted supply chains. Food inflation for July hit a staggering 11.5%, far more than 4.6% in June and marking a three-year high. Even when customers do purchase fashion items, they buy far fewer than they once would have, some of the managers also said. The downturn in fashion spending has also been accompanied by a slide in spending at restaurant chains like Domino's. In some encouraging signs, tomato prices have eased off peaks and India's central bank chief last week said vegetable prices, which have begun to soften, will decline from September.

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