No splurging on Eid as sales drop 30% this year

No splurging on Eid as sales drop 30% this year
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No Splurging On Eid As Sales Drop 30% This Year. Even as Muslims across the city were celebrating \'Eid-ul-Fitr\' on Tuesday, local traders who witnessed brisk business during the month of Ramzan have this time registered a 25-30 per cent decline in sales compared to last year.

Even as Muslims across the city were celebrating 'Eid-ul-Fitr' on Tuesday, local traders who witnessed brisk business during the month of Ramzan have this time registered a 25-30 per cent decline in sales compared to last year.

Customers usually flock to markets during the last days of Ramzan to shop for festive goods, and business for garments, jewellery as well as food items peaks as the celebrations near. However, according to city traders, business was not as usual this year as rising prices of essential commodities have dampened Eid shopping.

"Every year, we have a steady inflow of customers. Both men and women come to us to shop for clothes for Eid. This is the only period when we can raise the prices of our goods marginally knowing that customers would shop, not giving a second thought. But this year, our business has gone down by about 30 per cent, in spite of us giving discounts on our clothing," said a vendor from near Charminar.

“People have probably started giving more importance to their basic necessities rather than splurging on Eid shopping, which they used to do until this year,” he added.

It was also noted that women were cautious in their approach in buying jewellery this time.

"Women regardless of their social status have been coming to shop for imitation jewellery a few days prior to Eid from ages. This time it has been a little different. Women are still found busy buying jewellery, but with a cautious stance. Sale on expensive items hasn't registered a high turnover this time around," according to a recent study.

Other reasons for low sales -- Muslim organisations and clerics had called for boycott of Israeli products and companies to protest the Israeli offensive against Palestinians in Gaza. Leaflets calling for boycott of Israeli products were distributed outside mosques after prayers services.

Meanwhile, customers were complaining that though Eid comes only once a year, they have not been able to shop at will, due to rising prices. "We tried and save money from our monthly expenses so that we can use it to shop during the festival of Eid. But from the last few months, high prices of vegetables, meat and the ever increasing college fees of our children have tossed our monthly budget out of proportion. We were thus unable to shop at will this year," Afroz Jahan, a customer said.

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