Eid shopping fails to pick up with Eid just day(s) away

MULTAN: Eid shopping failed to pick up in Multan despite the fact that the annual festival bestowed upon Muslims by the Allah Almighty in return for their month-long fasting was just days away.

A visit to markets and Bazaars of the city including cantonment Sadar Bazaar, Gardezi market, walled city Bazaar, Sharif Plaza, Mumtazabad bazaar and others showed no hustle bustle of buyers.

And, the business places where items were attractive enough to catch the attention of the buyers, price tags became the major hurdle in finalizing a bargain.

Garment shop owners Mohammad Azmi and Rahat Shafiq said that they did sold kids wear and dresses for adults this year too ahead of Eid but the sale was 40 per cent lower than what they earned last year.

Shoe store salesmen Shahzad, Waqas, Naeem, and Usman shared more or less the similar views. People used to visit the shops, check their sizes and designs but finally returned without buying them because prices were beyond their means, they added.

The owners of makeshift shops including Saqib, Dilshad,Tahir and Basit selling colourful bangles and artificial jewellery said that the items they have put on display are the traditional wears of Eid and many buyers, all women, managed to get what they wanted because they offer a wide range of prices depending on qualityand thus had something for all income groups. They, however, admitted that the sale they recorded this year was slightly lower than the last year.

A buyer namely Jameel, who was busy in looking for a pair of shoe, said, it was the third consecutive day of his visits to different markets and he was still looking for a reasonable bargain to get what he wanted.