Eid sales slump

LAHORE: Shopkeepers are reporting poor Eid sales this year as customers are staying away from markets due to security fears and spending their money on charity for flood relief instead.

The city’s markets are usually packed two days before Eid, but this year they have seen far less foot traffic. “I used to get around 100 customers daily during Eid days but now it has dropped to 75-80, which shows the lack of interest,” said Babar Ali Bhatti, the finance secretary of the Qaumi Tajir Ittehad at Liberty Market.

He said recent bomb attacks in Lahore had hurt commerce. “People seem frightened and unwilling to come out. There used to be a great hustle and bustle in Liberty Market but now the number of visitors has dropped sharply,” he added.

He said that the number of customers had fallen since markets started closing earlier.

Tailor Sajid Ahmed said he had received fewer orders to stitch new clothes for Eid. “I used to close booking on the 12th of Ramazan because there would be so many orders but this year I closed it on the 18th. I got at least 30 percent fewer bookings,” he said.

The floods affecting much of the country have also taken their toll, with religious scholars urging Muslims to donate money for the flood victims rather than spend it on religious rituals. The government has also been on an austerity drive, banning all official Iftar dinners. School teacher Jameel Ahmed said he was not going to spend Rs1,500 on Aitekaf this year like he had for the last eight. “This time I have donated the cost of Aitekaf to the flood victims,” he said.“I know two of my relatives did not go to perform Umra and instead donated money for the flood victims. I think it could be another reason for fewer customers,” said Sheraz Sheri, a shopkeeper at Model Town Link Road.

He said he had noticed a drop in customers at peak periods since the multiple bomb blasts at Moon Market in Iqbal Town that killed almost 100 people in December last year.

Ordinary citizens also voiced security fears. “I had a close escape from last week’s blast. Since then I have been avoiding going to busy areas and have been telling all my relatives and friends not to go to markets,” said businessman Zia Naqvi.

And the difficult economic climate in the country for the last few years is another reason for slow sales. Business executive Sadeed Ather said he had not got a raise for the last two years and so he had reined in his Eid spending.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 9^th, 2010.