With Eid-ul-Fitr just two days away, thousands of people are thronging Dhaka's renowned shopping complexes, including Bashundhara City and Jamuna Future Park, every day to do Eid shopping for their loved ones.
Although the number of buyers has been more on weekends than on weekdays, traders and sellers expect that business will increase on the last two days of Ramadan.
People are thronging the clothing and shoe stores with their family and friends, eager to complete their festival purchases before time runs out.
The country is likely to celebrate Eid on April 11, depending on the sighting of the moon.
On-spot visits found that there is an overflowing crowd of people inside and outside the shopping malls. The salespeople are not getting the chance to take a breather while handling the rush of customers in the stores.
Keeping the needs and tastes of the customers in mind, different brands have showcased all the new Eid collections. Customers expressed happiness after getting to buy the clothes they wanted but many complained about overpricing.
Mazharul Islam, proprietor of Anyamela Fashion House at Bashundhara City Shopping Mall, said, “It is pleasant to see a large number of customers in the shopping mall. Eid is near, so the buyers are quickly making their choices and purchases.”
“We expected more sales, but they are relatively low than last year because of inflation and other economic issues,” he added.
Mazharul said that the increase in the price of raw materials has affected the price of garments. “On top of that, the prices of almost all kinds of products have gone up in the market. So many people have cut back on spending.”
One of the visitors at the mall, Masud Ahmed Khan came to shop for his family who live at his village home. “I always do Eid shopping from Bashundhara City. But this time the prices of all brands seem much higher than before. But I’m still buying whatever I can.”
Buyers have also admitted that the prices of clothes are higher this time around. A salesperson at the shopping mall said, “The price of yarn is high. That’s why the price of fabric is also high.
“If you do not keep a little more than the price at which you bought it, you have to sell it without a profit. Our business will suffer losses. Everything is expensive nowadays. What can we do?”
Another seller, named Kawsar, said, "The prices are not as high as it is being claimed by many. We are not making much profit. I can't sell at the price I bought the products.”
Jamuna Future Park, the largest shopping mall in the country, is hosting thousands of Eid shoppers every day. There is an overflow of customers but everyone is still shopping comfortably thanks to the massive size of the mall.
Everything - from clothes, shoes, home decors and gadgets to lifestyle products - is available here under one roof, making it easy for customers to shop according to their needs.
Large crowds are flocking to clothing stores of famous brands, outlets of clothing stores that have become popular through online shopping, and other shops. Alongside these shops, shoe stores are the most crowded too. Cosmetics and home decor stores were a little less crowded than those.
For example, this correspondent saw no place to stand at the Aarong showroom in this shopping mall as it drew a massive crowd of buyers and visitors. Panjabi is the most in demand ahead of Eid.
Besides Aarong, almost all the brand stores, including Gentle Park, Sailor, Yellow, Infinity, Easy, Plus Point and Zara, are also seeing a large presence of customers.
One of the salespersons at the Infinity showroom said that they have kept innovative and diverse clothes on the occasion of Eid keeping the needs of the buyers in mind. “This year we are getting buyers, who are more interested in shirts and pants, as expected. We hope to get more customers before Eid day.”
Farzana Islam, who came from Aftabnagar to Jamuna Future Park, said, “Half the joy of Eid is in shopping. It feels good even if the market is crowded.”
However, she complained that the prices of products are much higher and there is a lack of comfortable seating arrangements in the clothing stores.
