Eid shopping activities are gaining pace in every nook and corner of the city and cantonment areas and great rush has been witnessed on shopping centres and commercial markets. As a few days are left in Eid different markets and bazaars that remained open till late at night because customers start pouring in after Iftar.
According to a survey, despite of price hike the readymade garment shops both male and female had attracted the buyers by displaying new verities and designs. Some female buyers while expressing their views said that the prices of readymade garments were very high but people are preferred to purchase keeping in view the quality and designs.
The overall sale of Eid cards is at its lowest ebb in Sialkot according to the Eid cards sellers the rapid use mobile phones and popularity of computer technology and the facility of Internet have played an instrumental role in this sharp decline.
The excess of mobile phones and establishment of Internet cafes in every nook and corner of the city are playing vital role in reducing the time and space limit and people are benefiting of this facility and transmitting their messages and greeting via Internet and mobile phones on inexpensive rates, they pointed out.
They further told that a good variety of greeting cards including Eid cards have been made available on Internet and people select their required cards and transmit to their friends and kin and kiths without any delay. While expressing their views Ms Naheed Ali, Ms Sadia Khan and Ms Noor Ali said that people are reluctant to send their Eid greeting cards to their relatives and friends through post because of high postal charges. They suggested that government should consider minimising the postal charges on Eid so that the common man may be benefited by this facility and the government would earn maximum revenue by launching reduced rate facility.
The great hustle and bustle was also witnessed on bangle shops, which have doubled the attraction in shopping centres and markets. Humming of young girls and women were seen busy buying and bargaining Multani and Hyderabadi glass bangles. Huge gathering of females of different age groups was also witnessed on different "Dyers (Rang Raz) shops for matching or dyeing dress according to their requirements.
Similarly, Mehndi points have also attract the women where a large number of young girls and elderly women are found busy in decorating their hands with different patterns while some are purchasing "Cone Mehndi" for self-decoration. The artificial jewellery and readymade garment shops have also attracted the young girls, where huge rush of girls and women was witnessed.
It was also witnessed that a large number of guys were found busy in "Window Shopping" in much busy shopping centres and commercial markets of the city and cantonment areas.
A large number of male and female beggars were seen in different commercial and bazaars as well as in posh localities of the city and cantonment areas.