With Eid-ul-Fitr just few days away shopping malls in Dhaka city are now abuzz with shoppers. People in large numbers are thronging busy markets and shopping malls of the city every day to purchase required items for themselves, their family, friends and relatives to add colour to the biggest religious festival in the country.
Traders and salespersons are also passing busy time astheir shop remains abuzz with customers till midnight. The shoppers are seen very busy with buying clothes, foot wears and other items at various range of price for their family members. Some people were found a little bit disappointed with the price hike as they could not purchase items of their choice due to financial constraints and limited budget.
While visiting different shopping malls and cloth markets in the capital on Friday, this correspondent found markets bustling with crowds as buyers were busy doing their shopping whereas majority of them were women. With at least eight shopping bags in her two hands, Mili Afroz Bithi, 23, a university student, was found coming-out from capital’s Jamuna Future Park with her family members.
“I have bought three sets of salwar-kameez and shoe for me, two dresses and shoes for my sister, a sari and shoe for my mother and panjabi and shoe for my father and younger brother”, Mili told Bangladesh Post. Although I have completed most of my shopping for Eid, I will come another day to buy some ornaments and cosmetics before Eid, she added.
Kasfia Ahmed, 26, a private job holder, was shopping in Bashundhara area, told Bangladesh Post, “I am shopping with my mother and other family members and this is more fun than Eid.” Rabeka Sulatana, 50, a housewife, came to Bashundhara City Shopping Complex with his son told Bangladesh Post, “Every year, I do shopping for all of my family members as my husband remains busy at this work.”
My husband and I prefer traditional clothing, no matter if it is Tangail, Manipuri or Khadi, for all festivals as we find them affordable and comfortable as well, she said, adding, I have brought a Khadi Panjabi for my husband. New Market, Gausia Market, Chandrima Super Market, Dhanmondi Hawkers Market and its adjacent markets were also found overcrowded by women buyers.
Apart from shopping malls, middle class and low-earner people also buying their clothing from capitals different hawkers market. Habibullah Mizan, 43, who was shopping from capital’sDhanmondi-15 area said, “There are many brand and non-brand shops. The options are limited in terms of choosing the best outfit for the Eid meeting the budget.”
According to him, the prices of quality clothes are much higher in big shopping malls in comparison with this area. “I have bought two pairs of leather shoes at a cost of Tk 1,500 and two punjabis for Tk 1000,” he added. On the other hand, shop owners and sellers are happy with the volume of sale. Shofiqur Rahman Safi, owner of a shop at Bashundhara City Shopping Complex, said that their shop remains abuzz with shoppers from midnight.
“These days, we close our shop around 3:00am as people keep buying in till 1:00 am to 2:00am. This year, customers are happy with our collection and we are doing good business,” he said. Mahbub Alam, 45, owner of traditional clothing store at New Market area, said the sale has been quite satisfactory this time.
Sazzad Hossain, a shop owner at Jamuna Futura Park, told Bangladesh Post, “We are experiencing a huge crowd with the Eid approaching. We are selling both long and short Kameezes with different colours.”
“Customers always prefer bright colours in the festival. Magenta, yellow, blue and green are usually preferred. Most of the buyers prefer cotton”, he added.
It was also found at some shopping malls that many brand shops are offering discounts on their products to boost sells while many are running promotional campaigns.