LAHORE, Oct 29: Eid shopping is beginning to gain momentum in the Punjab capital although gloom, which took over people after the Oct 8 earthquake that killed thousands and maimed and wounded thousands more across the AJK and in parts of the NWFP, still pervades the atmosphere.
Nevertheless, the milling crowds of shoppers that cram the markets and shopping malls from the very first week of Ramazan are nowhere to be seen. With Eid less than a week away, one can still find a place for parking one’s car in otherwise busy markets, and does not have to wade through a grinding rush of shoppers inside the malls. At places salesmen strolling outside their shops, waiting for customers, can still be spotted.
The disastrous quake that levelled entire cities across AJK and in parts of the NWFP has seriously affected consumers’ sentiments this year. “People feel embarrassed if they are spotted shopping for Eid by a relative or a friend,” said the owner of a shoe store in Garden Town.
“It does not look nice to buy new clothes or shoes or any thing when you know that thousands have been killed and millions, including children and women, rendered homeless and are in dire need for outside help for their survival,” a bank executive said.
“Our Eid sales have dipped at least 50-60 per cent this Ramazan as compared to last year,” a salesman at a women’s garments store on the Mall told this reporter. “Fewer people are shopping for Eid this year because of grief that has taken over the entire nation after the killer earthquake rocked the country three weeks ago. Had the earthquake not struck the country you would not have found a place to stand in my shop.”
A shopkeeper at a children’s garments store in Naqi Market on the Mall said his sales had not been affected by the general gloom pervading the people after the quake. However, he said, “it does not necessarily mean that people are shopping for Eid, in fact, we’re selling more winter clothing and other accessories for children than fancy dresses kids usually like to wear on Eid days.”
“At least half of the shoppers in the markets are actually making purchases for the approaching winter. It is wrong to assume that all of them are here for Eid shopping,” he said, admitting that Eid shopping was “slowly but steadily” picking up. Besides, he said, there were numerous shoppers who were actually shopping for weddings to be held soon after Eid. “Soon after Eid the wedding season will start. The markets are usually closed for about a week after Eid. Tailors are also not available. So people prefer to do the shopping for weddings before the end of Ramazan,” he said.
He said the reports and videos from the quake-hit areas shown by the electronic media had affected the consumers’ sentiments. “I know many people who’ve donated all the money they had saved for Eid shopping for rehabilitation of earthquake survivors,” he said. He said some of his old customers and relatives had told him that they were not spending as much money on the weddings of their sons and daughters as they had planned.
“Every body has tried to contribute to the donations being collected for the survivors of the quake. The middle classes are in the forefront of those donating for the earthquake survivors despite the fact that they have limited resources.”
“I am here to buy my seven-year old son a new shirt and a pair of shoes for Eid. I’m not buying anything for myself or my husband,” retorted Nadia Arif, who was shopping at a posh departmental store in Defence Housing Authority. “Children are children. It is very difficult to make them understand about the disaster caused by the quake. They want new clothes, new shoes and other things for Eid. It is not possible for parents to refuse them.”
A vendor, selling bangles at the posh Liberty Market, said he had sold only 15 per cent of his entire stock so far. “I invested a huge amount in the hope of making a killing like last year long before the arrival of Ramazan. Now I do not see selling more than 40-50 per cent of my entire bangle stock, and, that too, only if young girls and women feel like shopping on the eve of Eid (Chaand Raat). In fact, I myself have been feeling so low after watching the video on TV that I don’t expect people to celebrate Eid this year.”
In spite of a very slow business this Ramazan, the shopkeepers are still hoping against hope that the sales would pick up in the last 3-4 days before Eid. I believe that our sales will surge sharply from Sunday. Shoppers will turn out to buy clothes, shoes, bangles, and other items next week. After all, life has to move. You cannot allow grief to hold you hostage all your life,” a shopkeeper on the Mall said.
