RAWALPINDI, Pakistan: Eid shopping is picking up momentum in Rawalpindi’s main markets as Eid-ul-Fitr is drawing near and the jubilant mood of young girls, women and youth is approaching full swing.
Colourful Eid stalls have been set up at various points, offering different kinds of cosmetics, earrings, gleaming bangles, embroidered clothes, jewellery and colourful dresses. The people belonging to all age groups including women and children are seen busy in Eid shopping which will continue till the “Chand Raat”.
Nowadays, the main focus of the citizens is towards the purchase of the clothes, footwear and many other items for the festival. A larger number of makeshift shops have sprung up on the pavements of the city.
Everyone try to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr, one of the biggest religious festivals celebrated after Ramazan with zeal and fervor and maximum arrangements are made in this regard.
The shopkeepers have raised prices but many have displayed “sale” signs to hoodwink customers.
Women of all ages have started visiting bazaars and shopping malls after iftar to buy clothes and shoes, while bangles’ sale is slowly picking up.
This year, during Ramazan, it was observed that middle class and low-salaried employees are not having lavish iftars, like they used to have in previous years. This is all because of price hike mainly caused by inflation, which has dented the purchasing power of common man.
The shopkeepers have been seen sitting idle, waiting for prospective buyers, while for most shopkeepers, business is usual as it remains during normal days.
Several shoppers said that due to high prices, many things were beyond their purchasing power and they were compelled to just window shop.
The rates of children’s clothing have reached sky high. Shopkeepers said most customers just come and look around, ask for prices and then leave.
The traditional embroidered dresses for women, elaborate frocks for girls, bangles and henna are a must buy for the festive occasion of Eid along with kurta shalwar for men.
Customers have to bargain at most of shops because shopkeepers demand different prices of the same item. In some localities, Eid cards sellers have also set up stalls outside shops to attract customers, but there are few buyers.
The Eid budget varies from family to family depending on their financial and social status.
With the rise in number of buyers, traffic jam in the towns’ busy market places and intersections, particularly in front of shopping centres including Tench Bhatta, Peoples Colony, Saddar Bazaar, Moti Bazaar, Raja Bazaar, Lalkurti, Rehmanabad, Sadiqabad Markets, Commercial market and other areas has become a routine.
For the traders, it is the best time to make money. They are very optimist as the shoppers’ presence is increasing day by day and reaches on its peak on “Chand Raat”.
Meanwhile, police claimed to have made foolproof security arrangements for the protection of the people at various shopping centres, markets and public places. To ensure security of female, lady police have also been deployed in various busy shopping malls at Saddar Bazaar, Raja Bazaar, Moti Bazaar and other busy markets of the city.
According to police security plan, law enforcers have been deployed in plain clothes at various sensitive areas and close circuit cameras are working in different busy bazaars, parks and other public places.
City traffic police has also finalized a traffic plan to avoid traffic mess and other problems on roads due to great rush of people in markets and bazaars.
