Eid-ul-Fitr is still more than three weeks away, but many people went shopping at malls and makeshift shops in the capital on Friday, the first weekend of this Ramadan.
Those who want to avoid large crowds before Eid went to malls to shop in a hassle-free environment.
Traders at malls told The Financial Express new fashion collections have already arrived in their outlets and shoppers are asking for those.
Jamuna Future Park, New Market, Bashundhara City, and Suvastu Nazar Valley are among the malls where early shoppers went. They also visited other shopping centres in Shahjadpur and Gulshan.
Nurul Islam, a private service holder, visited Jamuna Future Park early this month to avoid possible crowds and buy some fashion items for his family members.
"Malls become so crowded in the last days of Ramadan that visiting those with family members becomes difficult. And being a service holder, I only get a day in a week to do other tasks. So, people like me take this opportunity to shop early," he said.
However, businesses offer special discounts during the last few days ahead of Eid, he added.
Meanwhile, consumers who buy unstitched clothes are also going to outlets early as it takes time to prepare dresses ahead of Eid.
Shamima Sultana, a corporate executive of Top Ten, a fashion brand known especially for unstitched clothes, told The Financial Express their outlets in the city are already seeing shoppers.
"Shoppers have been visiting our outlets since the very first day of this month, while there are additional crowds and more sales today as this is the first weekend," she added.
The brand is offering new collections ahead of Eid at reasonable prices, which she believes are attracting shoppers.
New collections for children have also arrived in outlets.
Md Shagor, sales manager of SaRa Lifestyle, told The Financial Express they are already seeing a large footfall, with their kids' collections particularly attracting parents.
Sezuti Sultana, a mother of two who went to the brand's Pragati Sarani outlet on Friday, said she chose it for reasonable prices and new summer collections. "The dresses I will buy will cover both summer and Eid."
New Market, one of the city's oldest shopping areas, saw big crowds as people across the city and its surrounding areas visit it the most.
Tabish Mahadi came to New Market from Narayanganj with his spouse. They both had iftar there after spending some time in the city and then shopped.
"We are shopping early as our desired clothes and the right size may not be available in the days leading up to Eid. Furthermore, at that time, traffic congestion after iftar becomes intolerable. So, there is more comfort in shopping early," he told The Financial Express.
Consumers belonging to low-income groups, however, visited makeshift stalls, including rickshaw vans, mostly located outside big shopping malls. New collections were available there.
Various fashion and footwear brands, apart from their physical showrooms, have also offered special discounts on online shopping to make their platforms popular.
Young online entrepreneurs are selling their merchandise by leveraging social media platforms like YouTube and Facebook. Those having physical outlets are also doing business there.
Women mostly buy from online platforms because of customised products, shoppers said.
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