Shoppers have started thronging shopping malls and markets in the capital, with the biggest religious festival for the Muslims, Eid-ul-Fitr, still more than three weeks away.
All the major markets in the city are now experiencing huge rush of customers and salespersons are passing very busy time coping with the rush of customers.
‘Shoppers are arriving in large number at a time,’ said Khandaker Titu, a salesperson at Benarashi Emporium of Dhaka New Market.
He said, ‘This year people have started Eid shopping just after Shab-e-Barat and since then our per day sale is worth more than Tk 2 lakh. We hope it will increase.’
Another salesman of Gulshan Sari said, ‘We have different collections of prices ranging from Tk 1,200 to Tk 3,50,000.
Markets for clothes, footwear, cosmetics, jewelry and electronic gadgets witnessed good sales on Saturday.
‘I have almost done my shopping. Today I have bought clothes for my kids and relatives in the village,’ said Tamanna Haque, a corporate official who, with her family, came for shopping to New Market from Uttara.
Punjabi is the most special item of Eid.
‘For punjabi, our price range is Tk 1,595-Tk 2,295, formal shirt Tk 1,595-Tk 1,795 and casual shirt Tk 1,295-Tk 1,495,’ said Mostafa Kamal, branch manager of Yellow at Bashundhara City.
A banker, Ziaur Rahman, said, ‘I have come to Bashundhara City to buy punjabis, saris and shoes for my family before Eid.’
Ziaur was looking forward to finishing his shopping by Saturday since he would not get time later.
Shoppers also crowded footwear markets to buy trendy shoes to brighten up the Eid celebration even more and they were not disappointed as the footwear houses came up with new collections of local shoes for Eid.
‘We have brought around 600 new designs for this Eid,’ said a salesperson of Bata at Bashundhara City.
Bata officials said they were offering kids’ shoes at Tk 230-Tk 2,000, ladies’ shoes and slippers at Tk 230-Tk 4900, gents’ sandal at Tk 420-Tk 5,900 and shoes at Tk 1,600-Tk 8,900.
Female shoppers also thronged the cosmetic and imitation jewelry shops.
‘I came to market to buy a pair of earrings to match my Eid dress,’ said a college student, Ayesha Sultana. She said she bought a pair of ring, earring, bangles from Bashundhara City.
Though there were huge rush, some customers yet complained about price hike of the dresses.
Nehrin Sabur, who came to buy new dresses for her daughters, showing an Indian dress, said a dress like this one, priced at Tk 2,900 last month, was now selling at Tk 3,300.
She also added that this year it would be hard for her to keep within the budget for Eid shopping.
‘It will not be possible to give gifts to everyone this year because of the high prices of essential commodities, yet I am trying to buy what is within my reach as I want to give gifts to my relatives,’ said Nehrin shopping at the same shopping mall.
At Mirpur, boutique houses like Abartan Boutique House, Nipu, Nolok, Chandrabindu are also experiencing rush of customers.
However, most of sellers said the number of customers was thin compared with that of the last year because many people were yet to get their salary.
KZ Jewellery shop salesman Karim Hossain told New Age, ‘We hope the sales and customers will increase after 15th Ramadan but last year there was a huge rush this time.’
Most shopping malls have already announced their Eid offers expecting sales bonanza, including attractive prizes such as cars, motorcycles, laptops, LCD televisions, air coolers and refrigerators through lotteries.
Courtesy of New Age
