Eid shopping gains momentum in Ctg, Khulna cities

Women look at Saris at a shop in KDA New Market of Khulna city yesterday.

With about 10 days left for Eid-ul-Fitr, one of the biggest religious festivals of the Muslim community, markets in Khulna and Chittagong cities are bustling with shoppers of all ages as sales gain momentum.
In Chittagong city, customers flock to roadside businesses looking for outfits and matching accessories for Eid.
Shoppers, mostly belonging to middle and low income brackets, can be seen thronging the roadside vendors in different areas of the city including New Market, GEC intersection, Number-2 Gate, Bahaddarhat, Agrabad, CEPZ, Oxygen and Chawkbazar.
The hawkers, who run their businesses either on rickshaw vans or makeshift shops, are passing a busy time selling different attires, mainly shirts, t-shirts, trousers and children's clothes.

With Eid-ul-Fitr only about 10 days away, shoppers flock to a roadside market in Chittagong's New Market area yesterday.

Mohammad Hridoy, who sells jeans trousers in Number-2 Gate area, expressed satisfaction over sales in this Eid season.
His daily sales now stands near Tk 8,000 while it was less than Tk 4,000 before Ramadan, he said, adding that as Eid is getting nearer, numbers of customers is increasing significantly.
There are more than 12,000 hawkers in the port city who are involved with garment business, said Masud Rana, general secretary of Chittagong Sammilto Hawkers Federation.
The scenario is the same in Khulna where shoppers are seen flocking markets particularly Picture Palace, Dawkbangla, Borobazar and KDA New Market.
However, with increased shoppers came crowded areas and more traffic jam on the city roads.
The roadside shops and small retailers are more crowded than the city's big shopping malls.
Muhammad Mamun Hossain, owner of Mamun Cloth Store at Borobazar market, said, “Our store has been packed with customers for the last few days. I am very pleased with sales at the moment.”
“About 30 to 40 pieces of Indian Saris and Salwar Kamiz suits priced between Tk 2000-7500 a piece are sold daily,” said Md Alif Hossain, owner of Aponjona at KDA New Market.