Tangail’s low-income people lean on used winter clothes market

Warm clothes sales gain momentum alongside winter in Tangail in both the posh shops and second-hand clothes market for the low-income people of the district.

The makeshift shops set up in the Court Chattar area of Tangail town are popular among lower-middle-income people who cannot afford the ones sold at elite shops.

The shops are usually full of customers of different professions throughout the day. Both new and second-hand clothes are sold here. The prices vary depending on their condition.

The market is locally known as Poor Man’s Winter Market.

The market is made of temporary makeshift shops. The shop owners do not belong to any business association in the district. Due to this, the exact amount of their regular sales, or profit, could not be known.

However, Abul Kalam Mostofa Labu, president of Zila Babosaye Oikyo Jote in Tangail, estimated the market’s monthly sales are around Tk 50 lakh.

Over 100 shops are put together in the Court Chattar area adjacent to the Tangail District Commissioner’s office since early winter every year. As the winter progresses, the number of shops grows and so does the crowd of buyers.

Currently, there are over 300 temporary shops in the market. While most shops sell second-hand clothes, there are some that sell first-hand ones. The price of clothes starts from Tk 10 and goes up to Tk 1,000.

According to the shopkeepers, most of the used clothes make it to Chittagong Port from abroad, and from there those are bought as lots at wholesale rates to be sold at the market.

Used clothes are sold at a relatively low price at the market; however, more often those look new. The buyers are happy being able to buy clothes at much lower prices than in upscale stores.

A buyer, Rana Miah, said he came to the Court Chattar market to buy winter clothes since the prices are much higher in other markets of the town.

“Good quality clothes designed for people of all ages and gender are available here at low prices. Many people from our area come here to buy clothes,” he said.

The sellers at the market said the prices of clothes have increased by Tk 3,000-4,000 per lot, leading to slightly increased retail prices.

Aminul Islam, a second-hand clothes dealer from the Kagmara area of Tangail town, got into the trade to ease his family’s financial burden while continuing his education.

“Sales have picked up slightly over the last week even though the prices have increased this year. Winter clothes trade usually last for about four months,” he said.

He further said he used to buy per lot for Tk 25,000 previously, but the suppliers have upped the prices to Tk 30,000 due to increased demand. “We are making less profit due to this. We make about Tk 5,000 profit per week,” he added.

Trader Zahurul said, “We usually sell different types of winter clothes including sweaters, tracksuits, jackets, socks, hats, children’s clothes, pant coats, sheets, blankets, and trousers. The clothes are sold after determining an average price as they are bought in bundles.”

In this regard, Abul Kalam told The Business Post that the traders of the temporary shops of the winter market are not affiliated with any trade association in the district.

“We do not have any statistics for their sales or profit. However, from the number of shops and customers, it can be assumed that the monthly sales are at least about Tk 50 lakh.”

He added that these shopkeepers set up temporary shops in the winter season and the customers are mostly low-income people from the surrounding villages.