Anisul Islam Noor :The city shopping malls have been murmuring with the buyers from the beginning of Ramadan.The shopping centres are New Market are Gausia, Rapa Plaza, Metro Shopping Mall, Basundhara City Shopping Mall, Mouchak Market, Fortuna, Muscut Plaza, Rajluxmi Market, different boutique shops on both sides of Banani Road No. 11 and Mirpur. The shopkeepers claimed satisfactory sales this year.The retailers have already raised the prices of Eid items because of increasing demand.”Usually, people start their shopping from mid-Ramadan. This year, Ramadan started within the beginning of July. That’s why the rush has been more than what we expected,” says Abdul Kader, a shop owner on the Elephant Road.Another trader, Nuruddin Yusuf, of Gausia Market says, “After a long time, shoppers are coming to the market from the first day of Ramadan. Although selling is not at its best yet, there will be good profit this year.”Shasul Alam Majumder, top official of a multinational company, was looking tired but jubilant at Basundhara Shopping Mall on Monday. I have decided to complete my shopping early to avoid the rush as there will be a huge crowd a week before the Eid,” he said. Shoppers were seen everywhere from footpath to air-conditioned shops. Some came with their families, some with friends. Many of them were seen comparing prices, rather than buying the Eid outfits.All the staff in the shops were busy displaying their exclusive Eid collections to customers.Long-cut salwar kamiz was the newest addition to women’s fashion, said Famida Mansur, a university student, while shopping at Bashundhara City. She bought a long-cut kamiz forTk 4,200.Women and girls were mostly buying Indian stitched or unstitched three-pieces with the price ranging from Tk 2,500 to Tk 8,000.Men and boys were interested in various T-shirts priced Tk 250-1,200. Punjabis were also available at Tk 800-4,000. They were mostly searching T-shirts, Panjabis and shirts of latest design in the big shopping malls like Bashundhara City, recently opened Jamuna Future Park, Karnaphuli Garden City, Twin Tower Concord Shopping Complex, Mouchak Market, and Fortune Shopping Mall etc.Explaining this year’s women’s fashion trend, Selim Haque, a shop owner at Chandni Chowk market, said, long-fringe and lace-fringe sharees are selling well this year.Sarees with chumki and stone-works were also on good sale while the demand for different silk and Jamdani still continues.Iftekhar Ahmed, a college student said at Nurjahan Market in New Market area, “Budget is limited. So, I am trying to compare the prices of jeans and shirts to buy the best dress suited to my budget.”Jamuna Future Park, the largest shopping mall in South Asia, is getting busy as people are going there for best products of the country’s top brands.Low-income people have nowhere to go but footpath markets Gulistan, Bangabazar, Dhaka College, Mirpur 10 are the most suitable for poor people. All the traders on footpaths are ready with their various products, as low-income citizens will start their shopping in the last week before the Eid.
