LAHORE: Loadshedding and muggy weather on Saturday, the last weekend before Eidul Fitr, made shopping for the holy festival a difficult task, especially in congested areas of the city.

Shopkeepers of Bano Bazaar of Anarkali, Rang Mahal, Ichhra, Moon Market and Karim Block of Iqbal Town had made arrangements to cope with the outages, but the smoke and noise of the generators added to the woes of customers instead of providing relief.

However, the bazaars remained packed, mostly with women, from noon until late in the evening.

The situation was no different at Panorama Centre on The Mall and shopping centres in Auriga Complex in Gulberg, Liberty Market, Link Model Town Road and Township where sale of clothes, cosmetics and shoes was on its peak while ‘seasonal’ traders had set up stalls displaying bangles, henna and artificial jewellery.

Bangles from Hyderabad, henna from Rajasthan, artificial jewellery from India, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore and Korea remained in great demand. Shopkeepers said the number of customers was more than last year but not as much as it used to be three years ago.

Children’s garments shops attracted most buyers, followed by shoe shops and artificial jewellery stalls.

A number of shops in Anarkali had displayed annual sale banners but the prices were high as compared to two weeks ago.

Paucity of parking space, with hordes of beggars chasing anyone alighting from cars and rickshaws made the otherwise pleasant shopping experience a bit tiresome, especially for men who were accompanying their better halves.

Dyers and tailors faced women’s wrath as they either could not deliver clothes on time or the fitting, design and finishing were not as desired.

Commercial activity at wholesale markets had picked up in the provincial capital largely owing to Eid-related shopping by retailers from across the province. Shah Alam Market was a hub of commercial activity these days as retailers from different parts of Punjab routinely visited the country’s biggest wholesale market to purchase imported and local items.

Adjacent markets like Rang Mahal, Azam Cloth Market, Pakistan Cloth Market and Moti Bazaar Shoe Market were also buzzing with customers these days.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2014