Eid sales on Ctg footpaths gaining momentum

With Eid-ul-Fitr right around the corner, shopping at footpaths in Chatogram city is gaining momentum and small roadside vendors are passing a busy time now.

According to vendors, mostly people from low and lower-middle-income groups are the customers of the footpath shops.

While visiting different areas of the city, including Chawkbazar, Anderkilla, New Market, Sholashahar Gate 2, Agrabad, CEPZ, Jubilee Road, Station Road and Bahaddarhat areas, this correspondent witnessed huge crowds of people buying shirts, t-shirts, pants, panjabis and kids' attires from the makeshift shops and rickshaw vans along the pavement.

Abdul Hamid, hailing from Noakhali, was seen selling kids' attires in Chawkbazar area.

He said, "Vendors eagerly wait for the month of Ramadan as sales shoot up at this time of the year."

"My usual daily sale is about Tk 3,000 to Tk 5,000 per day. But during Ramadan, especially 10 days ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, the sale increases up to Tk 20,000 to Tk 25,000."

In Hamid's shop, the price range of the kids' attire is between Tk 200 and Tk 400.

Similarly, other roadside vendors were seen passing busy times, selling and bargaining with customers flocking to the shops in the area.

Jahirul Islam, a resident of Bakalia area who is a CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver by profession, bought a dress for his three-year-old daughter at Tk 200 from Hamid's shop on Monday.

"As my income is very poor, I have no alternative but to buy clothes from the footpath shops," he said.

Although people from the low-income groups are thronging to roadside shops in large numbers, middle-income groups are also buying clothes from these roadside makeshift shops.

Imran Hossain, a student, said he bought a shirt from a roadside shop at Jubilee Road at Tk 300.

"I frequently shop at the footpath shops," said Imran, who hails from Satkania upazila at Chattogram.

Md Khaled, a jeans pant seller in Jubilee Road area, expressed his satisfaction with the sales so far and hoped for some great escalation in sales a few days ahead of Eid as the number of customers is increasing day-by-day.

Contacted, Miran Hossain, president of Chattogram Sammilito Hawkers' Federation, said about 25,000 hawkers sell clothes on the footpath in Chattogram city.

"Eid sales in footpath shops usually gain momentum in the last 10 days of Ramadan," he said, adding, mainly people from low and lower-middle-income groups are the customers of footpath shops.

Some people from middle-income groups, including students, also come to shop in the footpath shops as they can buy clothes from footpath shops at a cheaper price, he said.