Late night shopping gains momentum

Rawalpindi

With scorching sun forcing the people to stay homes during day time, the trend of late night shopping is fast gaining momentum in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

"The recent heat wave has changed the shopping pattern and the shopkeepers are keeping their outlets open late at night. The temperature during the month of Ramazan is so high this year that it feels difficult to step out of the home in the daytime," said Huma Akram, a housewife.

It is pertinent to mention here that most of the markets and bazaars in the twin cities wear deserted look the whole day due to sizzling heat and the people start arriving for shopping after Iftar time.

Akhlaq Khawaja, a visitor at the Aabpara Market, said there is hardly any covered parking due to which the motorists avoid to visit this market in the daytime, adding "Construction of a parking plaza in this area can resolve the issue of the motorists who never like to park their vehicles in the open under scorching sun."

Another housewife Anila Yousaf said it is really hard to visit the market during daytime due to which they even bought vegetables and grocery after the Iftar time, adding "It will not be a good idea to do shopping in hot summer afternoon in the month of Ramazan." Zille Huma, a visitor, said it is quite understandable that the parents would not like to bring their children for shopping in hot weather conditions due to rising cases of heatstroke so it is advisable to visit commercial centres in the evening to avoid harsh weather.