UAE | Heritage and Culture
Eid shoppers swarm souqs, malls for gifts and gold
Malls and traditional souqs are buzzing with shoppers who are being spoilt for choice by Ramadan sales.
- By Anjana Sankar, Mariam M. Al Serkal and Binsal Abdul Kader, Staff Reporters
- Published: 23:56 September 28, 2008
- Nasser Mohsin selects new clothes for his children as part of Eid Al Fitr shopping at Al Wahda Shopping Mall in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
- Image Credit: Abdul Rahman/Gulf News
Dubai/Sharjah/Abu Dhabi/Ras Al Khaimah: Malls and traditional souqs are buzzing with shoppers who are being spoilt for choice by Ramadan sales.
With Eid Al Fitr round the corner Eid mussallas (prayer grounds) and mosques are also getting ready to welcome worshippers.
Families are swarming to shops to buy new clothes and to keep traditions alive by buying jewellery for the special occasion.
Sara Hakeem, a Syrian mother of three, said she is using up part of her savings to buy gifts for her family.
"Our monthly budget would not allow us to buy clothes and jewellery for myself and my two daughters. But we have decided that it is okay to splurge during Eid," said Sara.
"There are times when one cannot compromise, and Eid is one of those times.
"I had saved up a bit extra with Eid in mind and I am splurging it all on buying gifts for my friends and family," said Mahmoud, who works as a manager in a transportation company.
"There are more things on the list like a gold chain for my wife, and gifts for my relatives who are visiting us from Kuwait," said Mohammad who is the chief accountant in a hotel.
Fatima Zafeer, an Indian homemaker said though everything is getting expensive, it does not stop her family from indulging during Eid.
"This occasion is very special and only happens once a year. Children are so excited about it and we do not want to disappoint them. We are taking them to Wild Wadi and will be buying a Playstation that both my sons have been long asking for," said Fatima.
Many shopping malls and supermarkets said they are already witnessing a 25 to 30 per cent surge in business since last week.
A senior salesperson at Damas Jewellery said sales have gone up in his outlet by 25 per cent since last week.
Jewellery shops at the Gold Centre and Souq Al Markazi also saw their fair share of customers since Ramadan started.
"There was a boom of customers around 20 days ago, and everybody was buying bangles and gold sets," said Ramesh Sagar, shopkeeper at K.V. Jewellers.
The cost of 22 carat gold has risen from Dh95 per gram last week to Dh98 now. The cost of 21 carat gold is Dh92 per gram, although it is not as popular among residents.
"We have had a lot of customers in the past week buying jewellery for babies, such as bangles and pendants," said an accountant at J.J. and Sons Jewellers.
A staff member at the Mall of the Emirates said they are expecting the footfall to increase by over 35 per cent during the Eid holidays.
Many shoppers in the capital said thanks to the early payment of salaries by employers they could start shopping well ahead of Eid.
"I am trying to purchase garments for the family, and gifts for relatives and friends now, said V.M. Ali, an Indian.
The outlets have already been crowded, well ahead of Eid and it was expected, a large retail chain told Gulf News.
"Apart from food and other essential commodities, there is huge demand for garments and gifts," said V. Nandakumar, Corporate Communication Manager of Emke Group that runs LuLu hypermarkets.
Abu Dhabi Cooperative Society said the capital being promoted as a tourist destination has reflected in Eid shopping which has attracted tourists.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Economy has urged the public to avoid last minute shopping.
The ministry said that last minute buying is anticipated by some greedy traders who take advantage of this trend to raise prices.
- With inputs from Nasouh Nazzal, staff reporter
What is the most interesting thing that you have shopped for this eid? Do bargains excite you or is there no difference? What other aspects would you like incorporated as part of your shopping experience?
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