Haggle for Eid deals continues

People come out in throngs to shop and haggle for deals. Ladies often do their Eid shopping at the markets, buying gorgeous stitched and unstitched outfits to show off on Eid. The fun comes in the selection and the bargain.

Vendors yell out as women pass by: “Sister! What can I do for you?” Moreover, at each evening’s close, they summon you with promises of unique deals, murmuring reduced prices so that shop owners in the rear cannot hear. It is a shopper and bargainer’s dreams come true.

The shopping spree for the Eid buoys up city markets, imparting new zeal to the occasion. Nonetheless more cosmetic than calculated, much of the shopping restricts itself to garments, footwear, personal use products, and artificial jewellery.

In the bustling city malls, there is a noticeable rush to make selective buys before the start of Eid. Flaunting their latest collections garment shop owners enjoy the rush characteristic of Eid, starting with a trickle and going up a few days before Eid to a climax, the night before Eid, when most shoppers go into a buying binge.

This year also like every year there is a lot of demand for embroidery work on dresses and tailors have to arrange some, especially at the last moment to meet the crushing demand for the same. Buying new clothes around this time of the year is almost mandatory but the buck does not stop here. It goes all the way with shoes and accessories forcing the purse strings to loosen.

Buying bangles the night before Eid is almost a custom with women and young girls as a last-minute indulgence. The success of the bangle trade has introduced several new designs in city markets, which wear the look of classic work, a tinkling reminder that the celebratory spirit has come a-calling.

Tailors’ shops remain the busiest, working around the clock to satisfy customers who want new clothes for Eid. They do good business but it makes them very tired and impatient. Women are seen squeezed into one-room tailor shops working round the clock at their sewing machines with a measuring tape around their necks.

The line between day and night gets blurred for tailors who stay up sewing almost all night, snatching only a few hours of sleep in the early morning. However, they are willing to sacrifice sleep to satisfy customers who want their Eid clothes ready as quickly as possible.

Many people get at least one new outfit for Eid. Kids have a greater say in how they would like to look on Eid day. Girls are observed putting henna on their hands. Outside the home, at the malls, and the plazas, there are many colourful lights. This is the way the young and the old enjoy the beginning of Eid. The Eid is always thoroughly gratifying.