As Ramzan is drawing to a close, shopping has picked up significantly in the city, with families thronging shops. Garment shops are chock-a-block, while bangle sellers have their hands full and so are the tailors. Shops selling dry fruit, seasonal fruits, dates, ‘surma’, attar (perfume), ‘semiya’ (vermicelli) and other ingredients have been teeming with customers
The turnout is likely to surge from Friday evening.
Shoppers are now heading towards the lanes and by-lanes of Labbipet, One Town, Panja Centre, B.R.P. Road and other adjoining areas to do Id shopping. “We have registered a steep rise in the number of shoppers visiting the market during the last three days,” claims Shaik Abdul Kareem, proprietor of S.K. Agarbathi, at One Town.
Apart from garments, most shoppers purchase ingredients for preparing lip-smacking dishes.
Sales of ‘tasbi’ (prayer beads), caps, dates, miswak (teeth-cleaning twig) and scarves have also gone up. The cost of these articles ranges from Rs. 60 to Rs. 2,000, say shopkeepers.
They add that majority of customers are laying more focus on quality rather than quantity. For instance, several women want to buy ‘semiya’ that is brought either from Old City of Hyderabad or Ahmedabad in Gujarat because of its softness and taste. Same is the case with perfume bottles brought from Hyderabad.
“We are taking all necessary steps to cater to the needs of customers. We are providing them the best quality goods,” claims Suleman Mohammed of Suhag Centre for Urdu Books and Fancy Items on B.R.P. Road.
He adds that shopping has picked up, as customers want to avoid last-minute rush.
Some families are also going to Pathergathi in Old City for purchasing branded clothes and other articles.
