Srinagar, July 13 -- By Aksa Muzamil

Crowds rarely gather by accident.

They respond to incentives, emotion and information, often all at once.

Srinagar witnessed that lesson when thousands of shoppers poured into Goni Khan after Surat Khazana announced deep discounts on women's clothing.

Streets clogged with traffic, police stepped in to control the rush, and videos of endless queues flooded Instagram Reels, WhatsApp groups, Facebook pages and local news feeds.

Nearby shopkeepers pulled down their shutters in protest, arguing that one retailer's aggressive pricing had drained customers from the surrounding market.

Many people saw only a shopping craze, but economists saw a case study unfolding in real time.

That single retail promo...