As the holy month of Ramadan slowly creeps towards its end, flocks of eager customers are heading towards markets of the city for Eid shopping. Readymade garments and clothing vendors expecting increase in sales during few days leading up to Eid. Eid shopping has gained momentum here while people have started rushing to shopping centers to purchase cloths garments as the Eid-ul-Fitr, one of the greatest religious festivals is drawing nearer.
Though the Eid shopping remained low during the first three weeks of Ramadan this year, it started picking up impetus as most of the shopping centers remained open for the entire night after Iftar. Great rush of people was witnessed in the Saddar, Tariq road, Samama, Dolmen mall and in the shopping plazas on the University Road. Despite skyrocketing prices, children and women are seen eager to select unique designs of clothes to wear on the day of Eidul Fitr.
However, shopping malls have complained that Eid shoppers have not yet been rushing in through their doors like in past years despite Eid is just 7 days away. Children and women are more enthusiastic in choosing new and unique design clothes to wear on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr. However extraordinary high prices of cloth, readymade garment, food and other essential items has compelled majority of people in lower and middle income group to stay away from markets although only7 days left in Eidul Fitr.
Higher prices, shopping centers coming up everywhere and a decline in the purchasing power could be the reasons for sales not taking off, traders said. City Centre, Saddar, Tariq Road, Bahadurabad, Saima Mall, Haidry market, Supermarket etc which are among the big names in shopping destinations in the city, claimed that business was down 30 percent compared to the same time last year. On the other hand a very large segment of the society in upper income group as well as lower and middle income group have start visiting shopping centers after Iftar.
However, some parents were trying to buy affordable products particularly garments and shoes only for their children because they could not see displeasure on the innocent faces. For this purpose the low-income people preferred to visit stalls at roadsides and on footpaths because products available on these stalls are less expensive than the shops.
Salaried class people said that in the limited salary it was almost difficult for them to meet the needs of daily life but Eid was such event, once in a year, so they try their best to purchase according to resources. This buying spree is likely to continue until the last day of the holy month of Ramazan.
The number of visitors is gradually increasing in the markets and so are the sales. From mid day to mid-night, footpaths, makeshift sale stalls and shopping malls, illuminated to welcome Eid, have started receiving crowds including mainly women. The customers throng different markets of the city every day. Following gradually increasing the rush of customers, the shops remain open even on holidays including Sunday in hope to sale more.
The shops are flooded with latest garments for male, females and children. The shops are full of new as well as traditional attires to cater the need particularly the teen aged boys and girls. The markets of city have abundant stocks of goods. These goods vary from luxurious to household essential items. The showrooms have been made attractive with the display of goods. Some of the shopkeepers offer Eid discount to cloth to attract more customers.
Meanwhile, shops and boutiques selling readymade clothes have marred tailors' business in the city. Tailoring shops across the city appear to have slowly lost ground to readymade clothing stores with latest collections of dresses ahead of Eidul Fitr. Many tailors claim they are receiving fewer orders every year, and this year, they may have to continue taking orders even in the second half of Ramazan.
Despite price and inflation the volume of market transactions is relatively high this year. The buyers mostly middle class are found moving from shop to shop at city's clay road's markets asking prices of goods. Small shops are found more crowded than the big shopping malls. Buyers in larger numbers are crowding the shopping centers. Most of the rich buyers are crowding different big shopping centers while the low-income groups are seen purchasing their desired items from city's footpath shops.
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