Economic Reporter :
People swarmed into shopping malls and footpaths in a last-minute drive to buy everything they needed for the Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations.
Visiting several places in the city, this correspondent found that the Eid shopping has gained momentum at roadside makeshift shops and elsewhere ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, the biggest religious festival of the Muslim community.
Most of the footpaths in the busy areas have been filled with makeshift shops, targeting Eid shoppers.
Every year before Eid festival, the moneyed men crowd the mega shopping malls and centers in the city’s posh areas, while the low-income group throngs footpath shops to purchase their desired items as they cannot buy expensive items from the posh malls.
Almost all sorts of items, including paijama-punjabi, shirt, T-shirt, sari, salwar, kameez to readymade garments for children, were available at the footpath shops.
Shoes, tupi, attar and other essential items for gents as well as children have also been available in the city footpaths, comparatively at lower prices.
Small vendors have occupied most of the footpaths of Gulistan, New Market, Motijheel, Paltan, Jatrabari, Sadarghat, Farmgate, Mirpur-1, Mirpur-10 and Mohakhali.
Hundreds of stalls have been set up at Gulistan, Motijheel and Farmgate areas, known to be the major business hubs for street vendors and hawkers.
Sources said the footpath business has gained momentum now a days during the first half of Ramadan, which usually multiplied in the last seven days of the fasting month.
Small vendors have already renovated their shops or built temporary stalls to make brisk business at a time when markets are bustling with crowds.
A housewife, Seuli Akter, who went to Gulistan footpath shops for Eid shopping, said they had to compromise their Eid shopping due to higher prices of items.
“My husband and I had to be satisfied by buying half of the items they earlier planned to buy.”
Moazmmel Haque, an employee of a private farm in Paltan area, said, the third or fourth-class employees of various government or private offices can do their Eid shopping from these roadside shops at cheap rates.
Meanwhile, allegations are made that street vendors have to pay tolls to local political leaders and law-enforcers for getting every tiny slot on footpaths to set up shops.
A street hawker in Farmgate area told this correspondent though it was illegal to set up shops on footpaths, they were establishing their stalls by paying money either to local hooligans or patrol police.
Some vendors in Gulistan, Mirpur and Sadarghat areas said, various local leaders or police often force them to pay tolls for their shops on footpaths.
“Sometimes we have to pay tolls to two to three groups,” said a street vendor at Mirpur-1.
These seasonal traders set up their stalls only, targeting Eid shoppers, and most of them return home after making brisk business during the Eid shopping frenzy.
The buyers, mostly middle and poor income people, have been found moving from shop to shop on the footpaths. Some buyers alleged that the prices of the items increased compared the previous year.
Nsaima Akter, who bought clothes from a makeshift shop at Mirpur-1, said, “We are buying things from these stalls at cheap rates. So I am doing my Eid shopping at the street shop.”
The lower-income group will have the opportunity for shopping at a reasonable cost on footpath shops, said a police officer.
“It is always crazy on the last days of Ramazan, it is our prime time of the year”, said Hussain, at Nurjahan Market in city on Friday.
People swarmed into shopping malls and footpaths in a last-minute drive to buy everything they needed for the Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations.
Visiting several places in the city, this correspondent found that the Eid shopping has gained momentum at roadside makeshift shops and elsewhere ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, the biggest religious festival of the Muslim community.
Most of the footpaths in the busy areas have been filled with makeshift shops, targeting Eid shoppers.
Every year before Eid festival, the moneyed men crowd the mega shopping malls and centers in the city’s posh areas, while the low-income group throngs footpath shops to purchase their desired items as they cannot buy expensive items from the posh malls.
Almost all sorts of items, including paijama-punjabi, shirt, T-shirt, sari, salwar, kameez to readymade garments for children, were available at the footpath shops.
Shoes, tupi, attar and other essential items for gents as well as children have also been available in the city footpaths, comparatively at lower prices.
Small vendors have occupied most of the footpaths of Gulistan, New Market, Motijheel, Paltan, Jatrabari, Sadarghat, Farmgate, Mirpur-1, Mirpur-10 and Mohakhali.
Hundreds of stalls have been set up at Gulistan, Motijheel and Farmgate areas, known to be the major business hubs for street vendors and hawkers.
Sources said the footpath business has gained momentum now a days during the first half of Ramadan, which usually multiplied in the last seven days of the fasting month.
Small vendors have already renovated their shops or built temporary stalls to make brisk business at a time when markets are bustling with crowds.
A housewife, Seuli Akter, who went to Gulistan footpath shops for Eid shopping, said they had to compromise their Eid shopping due to higher prices of items.
“My husband and I had to be satisfied by buying half of the items they earlier planned to buy.”
Moazmmel Haque, an employee of a private farm in Paltan area, said, the third or fourth-class employees of various government or private offices can do their Eid shopping from these roadside shops at cheap rates.
Meanwhile, allegations are made that street vendors have to pay tolls to local political leaders and law-enforcers for getting every tiny slot on footpaths to set up shops.
A street hawker in Farmgate area told this correspondent though it was illegal to set up shops on footpaths, they were establishing their stalls by paying money either to local hooligans or patrol police.
Some vendors in Gulistan, Mirpur and Sadarghat areas said, various local leaders or police often force them to pay tolls for their shops on footpaths.
“Sometimes we have to pay tolls to two to three groups,” said a street vendor at Mirpur-1.
These seasonal traders set up their stalls only, targeting Eid shoppers, and most of them return home after making brisk business during the Eid shopping frenzy.
The buyers, mostly middle and poor income people, have been found moving from shop to shop on the footpaths. Some buyers alleged that the prices of the items increased compared the previous year.
Nsaima Akter, who bought clothes from a makeshift shop at Mirpur-1, said, “We are buying things from these stalls at cheap rates. So I am doing my Eid shopping at the street shop.”
The lower-income group will have the opportunity for shopping at a reasonable cost on footpath shops, said a police officer.
“It is always crazy on the last days of Ramazan, it is our prime time of the year”, said Hussain, at Nurjahan Market in city on Friday.
