Eid shopping gaining momentum

The Eid shopping is gaining momentum in the capital as thousands of people throng shopping malls, arcades and markets everyday to purchase their Eid merchandises for near and dear ones.
Market operators said good economic climate, improved by huge inward remittances by expatriate Bangladeshis and stable political situation boosted the spending spree of the confident customers.
The businessmen expected that they will record transaction of over Tk 20,000 crore before this year’s Eid festival. Last year’s sale during the occasion of holy Eid-ul-Fitr, the largest religious festival of Muslims was Tk 15,000 crore. This year most of the markets have announced attractive prizes, discounts or gifts with their items and come up with the latest collection of readymade garments, shoes, ornaments and gifts. The foreign brands have also drawn attention of the customers.
At the Bashundhara City, mainly the young and female customers were seen busy buying their choices. However, a section of shoppers prefers to complete their Eid shopping earlier to avoid hassles of traffic jam and save time.
Officials of different brands of garment items said the sales of their products are increasing and the number of such brands has been going up to grab the newly emerged fashion conscious customers.
The market operators expressed their satisfactions over the quantum of goods already being sold and are expecting further increase in the sale as the Eid-ul-Fitr approaches nearer as the Eid and Durga Puja will coincide this year. “The selling binge has got an extra stroke due to Eid and Puja going to happen almost at the same time,” said a shop owner at Bashundhara City on Friday. A senior official of the Westecs, a local brand of men’s garment items, expects that the Eid sales will began reaching the peak after 15 Ramadan.
“Family shopping is the main attraction for the shop owners ahead of the Eid. It will start after 15 Ramadan when all schools, colleges and universities will close for Eid celebration,” said the official of the Westecs.
But the existing trend indicates that the sales will be higher this year compared to last year, as the gathering of the customers is very dense, he added. A salesman at the Menz Club, a brand of men’s wear products at the Bashundhara City, said they are happy with the rush of the customers. “The sales this year are higher compared with the last year’s,” said the salesman.
Like Bashundhara City, other shopping malls and markets in the city’s New Market,
Gulshan, Naya Paltan, Elephant Road, Mirpur Road, Mirpur, Dhanmondi and Gulistan areas are also pulling the busy Eid crowds. On the other hand, many crowded the boutique houses that opened at different city points particularly at the residential areas to promote their Eid sale.
Gauchia, a popular market in the city, experienced huge rushes of shoppers on Friday, the second weekend in the month of Ramadan. A large number of children and women were seen shopping in the market. The prices of dresses for women and children are comparatively low in the Gauchia Market.
Colourful dresses for children are being sold in Gouchia between Taka 100 and Taka 500. Ratan Khan, owner of Labony Fashion, said not only the children’s dresses, they are selling ‘salwar- kamij’ for girls at Taka 200 to Taka 1,000.
Prices of the clothes of various designs and types for male, female, girls, adolescents, babies and children are comparatively higher this year than that of the previous year many of the shoppers claimed.
However, many people will not be able to afford their choices this year as the prices of essential commodities went up in the local markets abnormally, putting the people especially of the middle class under pressure.

Courtesy of The BD Today