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Thursday March 28, 2024

People throng flea markets

By APP
November 25, 2019

LAHORE:WITH the onset of winter season, a great rush of people was observed at flea markets in various parts of the provincial capital to buy warm clothes.

After the weather turned a bit chilly in the central Punjab, the sale of winter clothes was gaining momentum, especially in flea markets. Shops in Landa markets were seen displaying old and new warm clothes to attract customers. Old Landa Bazaar, Borhwala Chowk, Mayo Hospital Landa Bazaar, Chungi Amar Sadhu, Landa Bazaar as well as Anarkali and other markets attracted people to buy warm clothes. Landa Bazaars offer sweaters, coats, quilts, blankets, trousers, shirts, woollies, children’s wear and jackets. When asked a shopper Zahid Baig by this scribe about the purchasing at Mayo Hospital flea market, he said that inflation coupled with poverty were forcing people to do winter shopping from Landa bazaars. He said that new clothes were very expensive and not affordable to buy so he had come to buy second hand clothes for his children and himself. He observed that warm clothes in the flea markets were also expensive as compared to previous years.

Raheela Khurram, a woman customer, who was a teacher at a local school, said that purchasing power of the salaried people was decreasing and the clothes that she bought last year for the winter from main shops were no more affordable this year.

Several poor customers thought a considerable increase in prices at the Landa Bazaars. The prices of clothes were higher as compared to the last year, said Tahir Khalil Sheikh, a shopper at Old Landa Bazaar. “New warm clothes are beyond the purchasing power of poor people while these bazaars are providing comparatively affordable second-hand imported garments and that’s why I came here for shopping, another visitor Moazzam Chaudhry said. Shafiqa, a housewife was happy with her shopping at the flea market of Borhwala Chowk as she got stylish and quality woollen sweaters and jackets for her children at reasonable price.

She said that the flea market was a blessing for the people like them as she was unable to afford costly clothes. Gulrez Khan, a vendor at flea market said that a large number of citizens visited these markets of used warm clothes as it were cheaper than the new ones. Wali Khan, another shopkeeper said that it was not true that only poor people came to the flea markets, adding that he said several rich people also visited these markets to buy major European brands old clothes which were better than the local products.