Eid shopping gains momentum

Ignoring continuous rain, the people of Barisal city are going on a shopping spree for Eid. The festival is in its third week and the markets are witnessing large crowds. Large numbers of shoppers are crowding the city’s shopping malls and attending the grand sales. According to the traders, women and youths are still buying Eid dresses and other items, and the sales—which had started on a slow note—have picked up in the past 10 days. People continue to rush to the markets at Fazlul Huq Avenue, Sadar Road, Chawk Bazar, Bogura Road, Bazaar Road, Hemayetuddin Road and Fakirbari Road. There is no dearth of window-shoppers, too. According to the patrons, new fashion items are available in the markets, and are quite costly, too. After visiting different shops of the market, customers told the reporter that new fashion items have arrived in the market. Increases of 50 per cent to 100 per cent in prices have occurred, they said, but added that they found it affordable.
This year, the womenfolk are enamoured of special brands of shalwar kameez like 'Kiron Mala', 'Koti', 'Floor Touch', 'Lady Sherowani', 'Anarkoli', Jhinukmala', ‘Labanga’, 'Dhupian' and 'Gopi Bahu' (with copper work), mostly imported or smuggled from India, which cost between Tk. 6,000 and Tk. 1,22,000.
Various dresses, named Labanga dresses, are selling at prices between Tk. 35,000 and Tk. 1,22,000, Kironmala and Koti between Tk. 12,000 and Tk. 15,000, Floor Touch between Tk. 6,000 and Tk. 10,000, Lady Sherowani between Tk. 15,000 and Tk. 20,000, Anarkoli between Tk. 8000 and Tk. 12,000, Jhinukmala between Tk. 12,000 and Tk. 15,000, Dhupian between Tk. 5000 and Tk. 9,000, Badnam between Tk. 12,000 and Tk. 16,000, Baratia between Tk. 15,000 and Tk. 21,000, Guzaru between Tk. 4,500 and Tk. 45,000, Shila Exclusive between Tk. 10,000 and Tk. 20,000, Zepsee Nice between Tk. 4,000 and Tk. 20,000, Rang between Tk. 3,000 and Tk. 5,000, Navvia between Tk. 1,650 and Tk. 3,000, and  Gopi Bahu between Tk. 2,550 and Tk. 3,000.
A large variety of saris is also available in the Barisal Eid markets this year. Indian Opera sari costs from Tk. 25,000 to Tk. 26,000, Two by Two from Tk. 16,000 to Tk. 20,000, Rajmata from Tk. 8,000 to Tk. 10,000, Bhumi, Kazal and Ashik from Tk. 3,000 to Tk. 7,500, Soti from Tk. 10,000 to Tk. 12,000, Bala from Tk. 2,550 to Tk. 5,000, Kanchiboron from Tk. 8,000 to Tk. 14,000, Chosha from Tk. 8,000 to Tk. 20,000, Jhut Jamdani from Tk. 4,000 to Tk. 10,000, Net from Tk. 3,000 to Tk. 20,000, Opera from Tk. 8,000 to Tk. 25,000, and Gujarati Silk from Tk. 10,000 to Tk. 14,000.
The price of Indian georgette is between Tk. 6,000 and Tk. 10,000, Buno georgette between Tk. 8,000 and Tk. 10,000, Jamdani and Tangail silk range between Tk. 8,000 and Tk. 20,000, while the price of cotton saris of different designs range between Tk. 1,500 and Tk. 8,000 in the showrooms of the brands Pride and Perfect. Densely embroidered saris are priced at Tk. 15,000.
The men want punjabis for Eid, because all want to say Eid prayers in new and exclusive punjabis and pajamas. A set of such clothes can cost anything between Tk. 4,000 to Tk. 15,000.
Boutique shops are selling children’s dresses, including Baba set, Modi set and Nowab set at Tk. 1,400 to Tk. 2,000, boys' Punjabi pajamas at Tk. 1,000 to Tk. 2,000, girls' salwar kameez at Tk. 1,500 to Tk. 2,500, and pant-tops at Tk. 1,000 to Tk. 1,250.
The rich are trying to buy the latest designs for their children from the air-conditioned and posh markets; the middle- and low-income groups crowd the hawkers’ markets and makeshift shops for Eid shopping, as they cannot afford to shop at the posh joints with their limited incomes.
Sheikh Abdur Rahim, former president of the Barisal Chambers of Commerce and Industries and owner of an exclusive store of dress materials Moyuri, said sales were down during the first 15 days of Ramadan, as the purchasing capacity of people have been drastically reduced because of the abnormal hike in prices of essential commodities and the economic recession. “At the same time, continuous rain has seriously hampered trading in all the markets of the city. The situation, however, has improved. Much would depend on the sales next week,” he said.

 

Eid shopping gains momentum

Ignoring continuous rain, the people of Barisal city are going on a shopping spree for Eid. The festival is in its third week and the markets are witnessing large crowds. Large numbers of shoppers are crowding the citys shopping malls and attending the grand sales. According to the traders, women and youths are still buying Eid dresses and other items, and the saleswhich had started on a slow notehave picked up in the past 10 days. People continue to rush to the markets at Fazlul Huq Avenue, Sadar Road, Chawk Bazar, Bogura Road, Bazaar Road, Hemayetuddin Road and Fakirbari Road. There is no dearth of window-shoppers, too. According to the patrons, new fashion items are available in the markets, and are quite costly, too. After visiting different shops of the market, customers told the reporter that new fashion items have arrived in the market. Increases of 50 per cent to 100 per cent in prices have occurred, they said, but added that they found it affordable. This year, the womenfolk are enamoured of special brands of shalwar kameez like Kiron Mala, Koti, Floor Touch, Lady Sherowani, Anarkoli, Jhinukmala, Labanga, Dhupian and Gopi Bahu (with copper work), mostly imported or smuggled from India, which cost between Tk. 6,000 and Tk. 1,22,000. Various dresses, named Labanga dresses, are selling at prices between Tk. 35,000 and Tk. 1,22,000, Kironmala and Koti between Tk. 12,000 and Tk. 15,000, Floor Touch between Tk. 6,000 and Tk. 10,000, Lady Sherowani between Tk. 15,000 and Tk. 20,000, Anarkoli between Tk. 8000 and Tk. 12,000, Jhinukmala between Tk. 12,000 and Tk. 15,000, Dhupian between Tk. 5000 and Tk. 9,000, Badnam between Tk. 12,000 and Tk. 16,000, Baratia between Tk. 15,000 and Tk. 21,000, Guzaru between Tk. 4,500 and Tk. 45,000, Shila Exclusive between Tk. 10,000 and Tk. 20,000, Zepsee Nice between Tk. 4,000 and Tk. 20,000, Rang between Tk. 3,000 and Tk. 5,000, Navvia between Tk. 1,650 and Tk. 3,000, and Gopi Bahu between Tk. 2,550 and Tk. 3,000. A large variety of saris is also available in the Barisal Eid markets this year. Indian Opera sari costs from Tk. 25,000 to Tk. 26,000, Two by Two from Tk. 16,000 to Tk. 20,000, Rajmata from Tk. 8,000 to Tk. 10,000, Bhumi, Kazal and Ashik from Tk. 3,000 to Tk. 7,500, Soti from Tk. 10,000 to Tk. 12,000, Bala from Tk. 2,550 to Tk. 5,000, Kanchiboron from Tk. 8,000 to Tk. 14,000, Chosha from Tk. 8,000 to Tk. 20,000, Jhut Jamdani from Tk. 4,000 to Tk. 10,000, Net from Tk. 3,000 to Tk. 20,000, Opera from Tk. 8,000 to Tk. 25,000, and Gujarati Silk from Tk. 10,000 to Tk. 14,000. The price of Indian georgette is between Tk. 6,000 and Tk. 10,000, Buno georgette between Tk. 8,000 and Tk. 10,000, Jamdani and Tangail silk range between Tk. 8,000 and Tk. 20,000, while the price of cotton saris of different designs range between Tk. 1,500 and Tk. 8,000 in the showrooms of the brands Pride and Perfect. Densely embroidered saris are priced at Tk. 15,000. The men want punjabis for Eid, because all want to say Eid prayers in new and exclusive punjabis and pajamas. A set of such clothes can cost anything between Tk. 4,000 to Tk. 15,000. Boutique shops are selling childrens dresses, including Baba set, Modi set and Nowab set at Tk. 1,400 to Tk. 2,000, boys Punjabi pajamas at Tk. 1,000 to Tk. 2,000, girls salwar kameez at Tk. 1,500 to Tk. 2,500, and pant-tops at Tk. 1,000 to Tk. 1,250. The rich are trying to buy the latest designs for their children from the air-conditioned and posh markets; the middle- and low-income groups crowd the hawkers markets and makeshift shops for Eid shopping, as they cannot afford to shop at the posh joints with their limited incomes. Sheikh Abdur Rahim, former president of the Barisal Chambers of Commerce and Industries and owner of an exclusive store of dress materials Moyuri, said sales were down during the first 15 days of Ramadan, as the purchasing capacity of people have been drastically reduced because of the abnormal hike in prices of essential commodities and the economic recession. At the same time, continuous rain has seriously hampered trading in all the markets of the city. The situation, however, has improved. Much would depend on the sales next week, he said.