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| A Pakistani man sells ladies garments as he prepares for the upcoming Eid-al-Fitr |
The annual Eid shopping has started gaining momentum in twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad amid huge supply of consumer goods and a buying spree among the people.
Children and women are more enthusiastic in choosing new and unique designer clothes to wear on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr.
The customers start thronging shopping centres from evening. The buying spree is likely to continue till the last day of the holy Ramadan.
The shopping frenzy is expected to reach its peak after the first week of August as government employees will also jump into the fray after receiving salaries.
With the rise in the number of buyers, traffic jam in the twin cities’ busy market places and intersections, particularly in front of shopping centres, is likely to become acute.
Despite special arrangements of City Traffic Police to avoid congestion in busy markets, traffic remained choked in the markets due to sheer lack of traffic sense and overall trend of law breaking.
Retail prices of children’s, men’s and women’s wear, both local and foreign, rose by 10 to 15% than the previous year.
Markets have been decorated with some of their gates being illuminated with coloured neon signs. The buyers, mostly middle class, are found moving from shop to shop checking out goods and their prices. Buyers in larger numbers, mostly women and children, are crowding the shopping centres after the Iftar.
Meanwhile, a larger number of makeshift shops have sprung up on the pavements of the city for the Eid.
Prices of different varieties of clothes have registered a sharp rise although the shops are almost full of a variety of garments.
Most of the upmarket buyers are crowding different big shopping centres while the low- income group people are also seen purchasing their desired items from the footpath shops in the city.
There is abundant supply of goods, including foreign brands, in the market.