Pindiites like midnight shopping

People wait for Eid shopping till the night falls as at that time hot temperature cools down. Late night Eid shopping, of late, has become increasingly popular among the city residents for another reason, because they want to take along with themselves their small kids as well to protect them against the scorching heat that invariably happens during the day,” says Aneeqa Ali a buyer at China Market.

“It was almost midnight yesterday and still a long tailback of vehicles carrying Eid shoppers could be seen outside the Murree Road’s shopping malls, when I drove from the Stadium Road towards Liaquat Bagh,” adds Aneeqa.

“At the shopping malls situated from the Sixth to Fifth Road, the rush at the entrance does not seem to shorten, with the continuous stream of shoppers. Meanwhile, on the staircases of these shopping malls, a lot of young girls, kids and women and men were seen resting to recharge themselves for another bout of shopping,” says Mureed Hussain, a customer.

“When the temperature gets down during the night time and the traffic on the roads is not bad at all, unlike during the day, people like me rush to the shopping outlets for buying various types of products for their near and dear ones ahead of Eid,” says Irum Naqvi, an executive of a private bank, who arrived 15 minutes to 11:00pm at Save Mart located at Rafay Mall on the Mall Road.

“It is convenient to shop at night as I am busy during the day. Plus, I get to finish my prayers and other chores. During the last Ishra of Ramazan, a majority of Eid shoppers spend the night offering prayers,” adds Irum.

“On most of the nights the crowd of customers is much bigger. The rush of customers, in fact, is on the rise today as the Eid is just around the corner. The basement of our shopping center is jam-packed with Eid shoppers,” says Asghar Ali, a salesperson at one of the clothing stores at Rabi Center.

“Our store registered most of the Eid earnings in the last 10 days of Ramadan. Our sales this year have been very good. We have already sold most of our stock as customers stay late in the markets during the night,” says, Alamdar Abbas, a salesperson at kids wear outlet at Malikabad Shopping Center.

Raza Ali Abidi, a shopkeeper at Aashyana Center, says: “The garments, footwear were seen bustling with customers, but the scenario has been the exact opposite at the jewelry, electronics and mobile phone shops.”

Shopkeepers at the center said the rush lasts until 2 am, adding that the late night shopping will continue up to the Eidul Fitr eve.