Rush before Eid: Dhaka markets buzz with last-minute buyers
With Eid-ul-Fitr just around the corner, Dhaka is witnessing a surge of last-minute shoppers.
While many residents have already left for their hometowns to celebrate with family, those remaining in the capital are visiting markets and shopping malls, buying essentials to make the festival special.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. During visits across the city today, crowds were seen everywhere, from street stalls to sprawling shopping complexes and branded outlets.
Families shopped together, heightening the festive atmosphere, though some shoppers expressed frustration over rising prices, saying prices are significantly higher than last year.
New Market remained densely packed with shoppers this afternoon. Anowar Hossain, a shopper from Mirpur, said he had already completed shopping for his family and had returned to buy items for himself.
“Prices are higher across the board this year. After finishing shopping for my family, I had to tighten the budget for my own purchases,” he said.
Sellers said that in the final hours before Eid, shoppers, particularly young people, are focusing on completing their outfits with matching accessories.
Items such as jewellery, scarves, hijabs, pyjamas, shoes, earrings and rings are selling quickly, adding the finishing touches to festive looks.
At Bashundhara City Shopping Complex, Farzana Akter Nisha, manager of a Sara brand outlet, said overall sales remain strong.
“It’s a bit quieter in the afternoon, but we expect a surge after iftar,” she said.
She added that the shoppers are mostly those planning to celebrate Eid in the capital. Panjabis, three-piece outfits, one-pieces, sarees and children’s items are in high demand.
Kazi Rana, manager of fashion jewellery brand KZ in the same mall, said sales have picked up significantly at the last moment. Earrings, bracelets, bangles and rings are among the top-selling items.
“Compared to last Eid, business is better,” he added.
At Star Plus, a cosmetics store in the mall, senior sales executive Mohammad Arman Hossain said demand for cosmetics, particularly lipsticks and nail polishes, has surged.
In New Market’s Jahan Shopping Center, Shuvo Panjabi proprietor Matiur Rahman said current shoppers are mostly those who delayed their purchases.
“Some are heading home soon, others avoided earlier crowds. Sales are fairly good,” he said.
Mahid Hasan, sales manager of Cotton Club at Nurjahan Super Market, said sales have been satisfactory given the current situation, though still below what is typical for an Eid season. He added that many customers are now buying gifts.
Mohammad Babul, proprietor of a nearby Bata shoe outlet in the same area, said business slowed yesterday due to rain but picked up today.
“The market will become even livelier in the evening,” he said.
He added that many of today’s shoppers are residents staying in Dhaka – those receiving late salaries, or people who had not had time earlier, including business owners themselves.
At Shah Ali Super Market in Mirpur-1, a clothing brand outlet manager, Raihan Hossain, said sales have been steady since morning.
With Eid fast approaching, customers are making quicker decisions and bargaining less, he added.
Meanwhile, businesses conducted ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr amount to about Tk 170,000 crore, according to a survey by the Bangladesh Shop Owners Association (BSOA).
Of this, Tk 37,400 crore is spent on clothes. A significant portion is also spent on goods ranging from prayer caps to milk, sugar and almost everything in between.
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