With only a few days left for Eid-ul-Azha, the festival spirit appeared to dampen for many upscale retailers as sales remained generally low compared to other years.
“Many customers just roam around, they don’t buy,” said Rakib, a salesman at Shadamon, a high-end clothing store in Bashundhara City.
A mother, who was window shopping with her daughter at the popular city mall, said they were not there to buy.
“No clothes for this Eid,” said Munni, a lawyer. “My daughter is here to see the colours and new clothes, but that is all.”
“This time my children and I have decided to only buy the cow,” she said, without giving a reason for not purchasing new clothes this eid.
Many other customers, meanwhile, seemed affected by the prices and the financial aspect of shopping.
“I just bought these three-quarter trousers, and my wife a saree last night,” Sajjadul Rahman, a bank employee, said while shopping at Dorji Bari, a clothes shop.
“This eid, there were some financial constraints. And so, I could not shop the way I did during the previous eid,” he added.
Al Masud Khan, the shop manager, said: “There just seems to be fewer customers overall.”
Sisters Sadia and Nadia Islam, who were browsing at shop windows, pointed at the mannequins clad in salwar-kameez sets adorned with stones and glitter, saying they wanted such outfits for eid.
“But things look very expensive this time,” said Sadia, a university student. “It’s crossing our budget. We have been to Shopper’s World, Pink City and now at Bashundhara City, and this looks most promising.”
Many blamed the present state of the country for the dampened holiday spirit.
“Looking at the situation of the country, its economy, the political scenario, the state of the people and workers, it is quite easy to tell why there are so few buyers. People in general are not very excited this time,” said Rana Ahmed, a salesman at Rishan, another clothing store.
Ahmed said sales were considerably lower this Eid-ul-Azha than in previous years.
Some customers voiced a similar opinion regarding the low number of shoppers, and the general gloom hanging in the air.
“As Muslims, the excitement for eid is always there, but the country’s current situation has, in a way, marred this delight,” said Nimmi Chowdhury, who bought a saree from Pink City, another shopping centre in the capital.
On the other hand, some shopkeepers said sales were usually better during Eid-ul-Fitr, the largest Muslim festival marking the end of Ramadan.
“In general, Eid-ul-Fitr is our profit-making season, as it is a much bigger event,” said Mozammel, a salesman at Dash Fashion in Bashundhara City.