Rush for warm clothes hikes price
Sale of warm clothes and blankets has started to increase in Thakurgoan, Panchagarh and Lalmonirhat districts as winter is about to set in.
A good number of buyers, especially belonging to low-income group, were seen at the makeshift shops, the main source of buying warm clothes in Panchagarh and Thakurgaon towns in the last couple of days, reports our Thakurgaon Correspondent.
All types of second hand woolen sweaters, jackets, cardigans, trousers, mufflers and woolen gloves and kids' wear were being sold at the temporary markets, also by roadside vendors.
Taking the advantage of good demand of winter clothes, shop owners and roadside vendors are trying to make unusual profits.
The price of a single blanket (made of cut pieces of garment factories) varies from Tk 150 to 300 according to its size and quality. The price of a second hand sweater is between Tk 100 and 300 according to its quality while the price of a jacket varies from Tk. 300 to Tk. 1200.
Usually the winter comes at the end of November or early December in the northern districts and it become severe from end of December.
With the experience of previous year's severe cold, people belonging to low and fixed income groups are crowding the makeshift shops in these districts to buy warm clothes to protect themselves from the biting cold, several buyers and shop owners said.
Porimal Chandra of Collegepara in Thakurgaon Municipality area said, “We suffered a lot last year due to severe cold. I think the cold weather will sweep with more severity in the region this year also as cold wind has already started to blow from mid-November.”
Anwar Pervez, a student of Abdur Rashid Degree College said, “I have come to the market to buy warm clothes for me. But the sellers are demanding high price compared to new ones.
Replying to a query over higher price, shop-keeper Dulal Miah said that the price of a bale of secondhand clothes this year much higher than last year's. This season we had to buy a sweater bale at Tk. 30,000-40,000 and a bale of muffler at Tk. 35,000-Tk. 45,000 while these were only Tk. 25,000 and 30,000 respectively.
Our Lalmonirhat correspondent adds: Sellers of warm clothes are doing brisk business in the district town and other areas as people crowded roadside makeshift shops and different markets to protect themselves from severe cold in the region.
People, particularly those from low and fixed income groups, are buying sweaters, jackets, cardigans, woolen caps and mufflers.
'I have sold a number of second-hand warm clothes. Demand for used warm clothes is much higher than the new ones,' said Bhuttu Miah, owner of a roadside shop near Mogholhat railway gate in the town.
He said low and fixed income-group people including day-labourers, rickshaw-pullers and employees of different government and private organisations were crowding his shop.
Aftab Hossain, a rickshaw puller, who lives at a hut on the embankment of the Teesta River at Kalmati village of Lalmonirhat Sadar, said they had been suffering extremely for severe cold for the last few days.
"But prices of the clothes are much higher compared to the last year's,” he said.
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