HARIPUR: Eid shopping in the main city markets is its peak these days and people, mostly women, belonging to different income and age groups could be seen making beelines to different sale points in the city.

The roadside outlets and markets in the main bazaar, Loharanwala Bazaar, Girls College Road, Rehmania Road, Kabli Market and Saddar Bazaarare swarmed with customers from early morning till late in the night thanks to lifting of Covid-related restrictions.

A large number of customers who could afford were seen buying stitched clothes as almost all the tailors have stopped accepting new orders after the 15th of Ramazan due to heavy load on them.

The demand for perfumes, shoes, garments and cosmetics is also on the rise owing to shopping for the Eid festival.

The small sale points made in kiosks and stalls on the roadsides serve as a blessing in disguise for people from the lower middle and poor classes.

Theshopkeepers, mostly Afghan refugees, offer trendy shoes, readymade garments and cosmetics to the buyers that could not afford buying costly consumer items on Eid.

Having no knowledge of the quality of consumer items the shoppers appear to bemore inclined to buying cheap quality products. These consumer items, mostly manufactured at the home-based small industries of big urban cities, are the replica of shoes, readymade kids’ garments, hosiery items and cosmetics of some known brands.

A marked difference was noticed in the prices ofitems sold at bigshopsand the temporary sale points or sasta bazaars.

“I know that the shoes and garments I have bought from the sale point are not durable due to their poor quality, but I am compelled to help my children celebrateEidwith new clothes and shoes the way their cousins do,” said Shehla Naqvi, a resident of TIP Housing Society whose husband earns Rs20,000 a month.

Zarin Khan, another customer, shared how hebought four pairs of replica shoes of some known brands for his children for only Rs2,500.

The small roadside sale points and kiosks are also selling colourful bangles, cosmetics, hosieryitems and garments of Chinese brands at cheaper rates.

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2022