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Eid sales below target

By Staff Correspondent
Shops jam-packed, almost over-(lowing, with customers and roads outside clogged up with traffic — that was the scene* common to most shopping areas of the city yester day.
Eid shopping had started to gain momentum since Friday, after three days of forced shutdown due to the opposition’s barricade and hartal programmes Feb 13-15.
But the mad rush to complete shopping before the big day. only 2-3 days away, was even greater yesterday, a public holiday.
Although sales have started to pick up, they remain well below the set targets of most businesses.
"We have yet to reach our expected targets. Things are worse then they were at this point last year, said a salesperson at a ready-to-wear clothes shop in Bailey Road.
According to him. smaller personal budgets and the current political atmosphere, have been the major factors in
keeping customers a wav
Production and supplies have also been affected this year and there are fewer new designs out.
At another shop-specialising in local sarees. the salesperson behind the country informed. "We get most of our stock from local NGOs. This year, they have been unable to meet our demand and also there have fewer new designs."
In sarees. the most tradi-Uonal of ladles wear, hand-painted and embroidered pure-cot ton soft Rajshahi silks and block-printecf raw silk have been going well.
The markets are also flooded with foreign sarees and saboar-kameez ensembles. Their prices vary according to styles and materials
At shops stocking locally made salwarkameez. new styles are almost absent. Sets in cotton, linen, toshor and Rajshahi silks are selling well.
Last year’s best-selling lasa' •— a three piece Indian outfit comprising a heavily-embroidered top. a full skirt and a 'dopatta' — still remains a _ favourite with young ladies. Lo- ' cally made and Imported lasas are available in most shopping centres this year.
There are few changes in styles this year in punjabt the . traditional menswear. Heavily decorated and punjabts with uttyorio' — a long scarf are the latest mode this year.