Barishal Correspondent :
Shopping centers and markets of Barisal city started experiencing large crowd as Eid sale get momentum in fourth week of Ramzan.
However adverse monsoon weather and extreme summer heat hampering the shoppers.
Brands and names of the characters of Indian TV shows reigning over the market.
On other hand as Bangla year ended on mid-April with traditional reduction trend, so many of the shoppers collected their items during that time.
Besides on-line shopping spreading, but yet not popularised and expanded in this divisional city and so making rush for physically choosing and marketing their items.
Rich are trying to buy the latest designs for their children from the air-conditioned and posh markets in the city, middle and low income group people are used to crowd in the hawkers market and make shift shops for their Eid shopping.
After visiting shopping malls and markets at Fazlul Huq Avenue, Sadar Road, Chawk Bazar, Bogura Road, Bazaar Road, Hemayetuddin Road, Fakirbari Road, Sagordi areas of the city found that women and youths choosing dresses and other items for Eid and sale got momentum since last ten days of Ramzan.
Mahmuda Begum with two kids after watching the products, taking idea about price and knowing fashion trends, said that prices become 20-25 percent higher than previous year priced Tk 5,000-50,000,.
Customers after visiting different shops of the market said this year’s Eid shopping features included girls’ craze for shalwar-kamiz with copper works and mostly imported or smuggled from India, with the price ranging from taka 4,000 to 80,000, said Tanima Rahman Khan, a graduate of fashion design course.
The price of cotton saris of different designs ranged Taka 1500-8,000 in the showrooms of Pride, Chandrabindu and Perfect brands and densely embroidered saris priced as 15, 000 – 50,000 at different shops.
Men go trendy for Punjabis to go to say Eid prayers in new and exclusive Punjabi and Paijama priced from Tk.4,000 to 15,000.
Boutique shops selling babies’ dresses priced taka 1400 -2000, boys’ Punjabi-Pajama 1000 – 2000, girls’ salwar-kamij 1500 -2500 and pant-tops 1000 – 1250.
Sheikh Abdur Rahim, former president of Barisal Chamber of Commerce and Industries and owner of exclusive dressing materials seller Moyuri departmental store, said they were faced a fall in sale till first 15 days of the Ramzan.
At the same time monsoon rain and extreme summer heat hampered the trading discipline in all the markets of the city.
Situation however situation improved and shoppers now rushed to Eid markets after getting salaries and bonuses which would be continued till early morning of the Eid-day, he added.
BSS from Rajshahi adds: Amidst the last moment’s hectic purchasing spree the Eid shopping has gained a peak in all markets and shopping malls in the city and its adjacent areas.
With hardly four days left for the Eid-ul-Fitr, one of the biggest religious festivals of the Muslims, Rajshahi city has been caught by Eid shopping fever with modern and traditional shopping malls bustling with shoppers from all strata.
Braving the prevailing humid and sultry weather thousands of people are purchasing items of their own choice with huge enthusiasm despite significant rise in prices of all kinds of clothes than the last year.
Movement of the shoppers has created huge traffic congestion in the major shopping areas.
Shop owners told BSS that sales were showing an upward trend for the last couple of days.
Salesmen of different markets, footpaths, makeshift sales centers are passing busy time from morning to midnight as shoppers of all ages gathered there.
Deployment of law enforcers at different points and market places and engagement of private security men at shopping malls by the authorities concerned have ultimately created a fool-proof security arrangement for businessmen as well as shoppers.
Rajshahi Metropolitan Traffic Police sources said movement of thousands of battery-run auto-rickshaws has deteriorated the traffic situation in the city though the situation is so far better.
The RMP traffic department also blocked all intersections in front of all markets and shopping malls to ensure uninterrupted movement of vehicles. Police boxes were set up beside the gates of all busy markets. Sekendar Ali, general secretary of RDA Market Businessmen Association, said he had not faced any untoward situation since the very first day of Ramadan.
“The volume of sale is much higher this year.” Saidul Islam, owner of Laboni Saree Ghar at Rajshahi New Market, said the products particularly salwar-kameez for girls, shoes, sarees with embroidery and stone work, punjabi, and shirts produced by local fashion houses were attracting the customers.
The shopping places become jam-packed to wear festive looks daily since noon. Market sources said prices of the clothes for male, female and children were about 30 to 40 percent higher than last year.
The Eid shoppers have been rushing mostly to RDA Market, New Market, Sonadighi Silk Market and other markets and shopping malls in the city.
The girls and adolescents are mostly purchasing three pieces of various designs like “Tumili’, “Chhanchhan”, “Ranjona”, and “Anar Koli”.
Silk fabrics, weaved and designed by local artisans, are on huge demand in the Eid markets of the city, with the affluent people rushing to the city silk showrooms every day.
With attraction of eye-catching colour and design of the silk wears, large number of people irrespective of age and sex especially the adolescents are humming towards the showrooms to collect their best choice.
Traders at the big and sophisticated shopping malls expressed happiness over sales and hoped that the selling will further increase till the Chand rat (previous night of Eid Day).
