Eid shopping picks up in port city
People throng different city markets for Eid shopping. The photo was taken from New Market.Photo: Zobaer Hossain Sikder
With barely a week to go, Eid shopping gains momentum in the port city with all the shopping malls, arcades and markets as well as the makeshift shops on footpaths in the city being bustling from morning till night. The scenario of Eid shopping here has remarkably changed during the last few days in comparison with the first two weeks of Ramadan that show a poor sale. While markets are gripped in a frenzied atmosphere, the buyers and sellers express mixed reaction and little dissatisfaction blaming the soaring prices of essentials. They said the price hike of essentials will lessen their Eid festivity to some extent. Due to financial constraint, the people of modest income have cut down their budget while the affluent section of the society has nearly completed shopping. People of well off section who are in search of latest fashion in design and colour usually throng the posh shopping malls like New Market (Bipani Bitan), Amin Centre, Sanmar Ocean City, Central Plaza, Mimi Super Market, Chittagong Shopping Complex as well as several other popular outlets like Nabarupa, Pride, Aarong, Anjan's, Mia Bibi, K-crafts, Westecs, Revlon, Cat's Eye, Matra, Nari and Menz Club. The middle class shoppers like to shop at Reazuddin Bazar, Lucky Plaza, Chawk View Market, Terri Bazar, Tamakumandi Lane Bazar, Shipping Complex, Singapore-Bangkok Market and other markets for necessary items where they found at reasonable price. Jahur Hawker Market and a number of city points where hawkers set up makeshift shops, however, are still the most popular outlets for the lower middle class and the poor. No market has arranged any sale festival or so-called lottery to draw more customers this year due to ban on such practices by the police administration. Of the Eid attires, sarees are in top demand for the female customers while punjabis, as usual, for the male. Chandan Chowdhury, a salesman of Sumsun at Sanmar Ocean City, said sarees having decoration of antics over pure chiffon silk between Tk 2,500 and Tk 40,000 have great demand this year. Different types of Italian craft silk saree are available with prices of Tk 8,500 to Tk 40,000. Kakon, a saree shop in the market, offers Batni Silk and Radwan cotton from Tk 3,000 to Tk 5,000. Romana Saree Ghar on the second floor of Amin Centre has brought collections of variety of georgette decorated with Bombay boutiques, jardousi and chumki with prices varying between Tk 1,000 and Tk 13,000. Married women crave for these sarees, said Mohammad Musa of Romana. Sarees with similar design and price are also being sold at Reazuddin Bazar. Nusrat Ali, a housewife, finally came to Reazuddin Bazar after visiting Sanmar, Amin Centre and New Market to find her match in terms of price and choice, and got it here. "I have at last bought a georgette saree at Tk 2000 after bargaining with the salesmen at Reazuddin Bazar," Nusrat said. Harun Ur Rashid, a seller of Lucky Corner of Lucky Plaza at Agrabad, blamed the devaluation of money and recent flood for price hike of essentials. Sleeveless kameej decorated with different artistic patterns, with brand names like Zepsi and Anarkali have become popular among the young girls this year. Zepsi are being sold at Tk 4,000 to Tk 7,000 while Anarkali at Tk 8,000 to Tk 11,000 at different shops at Amin Centre. Young people are gathering at popular outlets like Khadighar, Paristhan and others that showcased attractive and colourful punjabis. Here, khadi punjabis of Comilla are sold at Tk 250 to Tk 350, punjabis from Narshingdi, Pabna and Jamalpur at Tk 350 to Tk 900 while Rajshahi silk ranged from Tk 1050 to Tk 2,200. Some posh outlets such as Revlon, Cat's Eye, Menz Klub, Ruby Red, Handi Bazar and Khakki also have nice collections of shirts and pants for gents. Revlon at New Market brought some latest brands of shirts including Download, Energy, Moonstone, Spider and Dragon priced from Tk 750 to Tk 1050 for college and university going teenagers. Besides, the authorities have allowed around 20,000 hawkers to do business on the footpath again at different city points offering a scope for thousands of lower middle class and lower class for Eid shopping.
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