Colourful balloons and festoons catch eyes as one enters the atrium of the mall. A red car, decorated with ribbons and balloons, is placed on the way to the elevators filled by shoppers of all ages.
Some are going upstairs while some are coming down, holding shopping bags containing clothes, footwear and so on.
Outside the mall, a gentle breeze keeps the colourful festoons swaying on the flag poles fixed a couple of yards away from the footpath. On the main road, vehicles stand in a tailback and their cacophony of horn honking break the silence of midnight atmosphere.
It was 12:15am Sunday. An elderly woman, accompanied by two adolescent girls, came out slowly from the country’s biggest shopping mall, Bashundhara City on Panthapath in the capital.
Holding two shopping bags in hand, she stood on the edge of the steps of the mall like many others who were waiting for their private vehicles to come and pick them up.
It’s the scene of rush shoppers who browse shop to shop from morning till midnight as Eid-ul-Fitr, the largest religious festival of the Muslims, approaches nearer.
“Movement at late night is easier. You will have a cool atmosphere at night compared with the daytime’s,” said the over 60-year-old woman who came at the mall 15 minutes to 11:00pm on Saturday.
“I prefer shopping at late night because I can come after finishing prayers and other tasks,” she added.
The shopping spree that began since mid-August is gradually reaching its peak in the city and elsewhere in the country. The shoppers, who cannot manage enough time in the day, hit the counters of retail outlets after mid night at a growing number to buy gifts for near and dear ones.
Such a shopping bonanza began in late August after the government withdrew its restriction on shopping hours from 10:00am to 8:00pm, clearing ways for shoppers to browse retail to retail for almost unlimited hours.
The ease of restriction has offered a scope for businesspersons, office goers and people of different professions to go shopping with family members at late hours of the evening after finishing the day’s work.
Store operators say the majority of shoppers who come late night are well-off people who love to drive cars from malls to markets to choose festival wearing.
One of the main factors for late night shopping is the desire to avoid long tailback that cripples movement and forces people to waste valuable time sitting idle for hours on the road from morning till early hours of evening.
Other factors are the expectations to avoid crowd at malls and markets during the day hours. Desire to have a cool air at night also encourages many to start visiting retails at late hours, shoppers say.
“Shopping at late hours is more convenient than at busy daytime. We can move and choose easily due to fewer crowds,” commented Kazi Emran who along with his spouse started from home at 9:30pm.
“We started for shopping also at late night after the government has cleared ways for keeping shops open for unlimited hours,” said the about 30-year man who bought a pair of footwear.
“You will also face less traffic,” he added.
However, getting a road free from tailback at late night still remains a far cry for many. Some shoppers say they had to take pains for staying hours on the road to reach the malls and markets.
“We started at 8:00pm hoping to have less traffic. But it took us two hours to arrive here,” said Manzur-ur Rahman in anger.
Rahman and his spouse Sabina Rahman came to Bashundhara Shopping Mall from Dhanmondi. As they lost two hours on the road, they failed to buy all items they had planned.
“It’s meaningless. We spent three to four hours and bought just a T-shirt,” he said as he was approaching their car.
Retailers say the extended shopping hours have allowed them record high sales as customers who come late hours really mean buying rather than hanging around like window shoppers.
“Those who come at late hours are original customers and you will find a few of them window shopping,” said Mir Nizam Uddin Ahmed, chairman of Zaara Fashions Mall Ltd, which sells imported gents and ladies wear near Gulshan Circle-1.
“Customers feel comfort at late hour shopping,” he said, adding, “If they can choose in relaxed mood, they feel happy instead of feeling cheated because of rush shopping amid crowd at day.”
He informed that about half of the day’s total sale at his store occurs in three hours between 8:00pm and 11:00pm. Zaara Fashions logged nearly Tk 500,000 in average sale per day prior to the end of last month.
Md Helal Uddin, president of an association of retailers, Dhaka Mahanagar Dokan Malik Samity, said upscale consumers usually browse stores at late hours.
“We feel comfortable to handle customers at late night. They do not bargain too much. If they like an item, they just buy it helping us attend more clients,” said Helal.
Store operators say turnout of late night shoppers has started rising after the beginning of September. To handle customers at hours even after midnight, some retailers have also motivated their sales staffs so that they do not get tired.
Rashidul Quddus, manger operations of a multi-brand clothing retailer, Infinity, said they are prepared to serve customers even after midnight.
“We handled customers until 2:00am on September 1. We have also motivated our staffs so that they remain ready to serve the clients for long hours without getting tired,” he added.
