UAE residents shop early for Eid gifts to avoid last-minute rush

Dubai: Filipina expatriate Inshirah Taib has completed her shopping one week before Eid Al Fitr to avoid the rush and ensure she got all the gifts for her family and friends.

Many UAE residents, like Taib, have completed their Eid shopping, while some are determined to shop during the last days of Ramadan.

Taib and her husband, Ahmad Jumar Taurac, said the first Eid gift they bought was a gold bracelet for their daughter, Safiyyah Bint Jumar, who turned five this month. “We also exchange gifts with family and friends — and we’ve done shopping for that,” Taib added.

“Eid gift-giving will also not be complete without sharing traditional Marianao delicacies, including chicken piaparan, beef randang and fish piaparan. We will also have Quran reading competition among Filipino Muslims as well as a mini sports fest, including basketball, badminton and darts to strengthen the camaraderie within the community,” continued Taib, who hails from the Islamic City of Marawi, Lanao del Sur, in southern Philippines.

But before distributing the gifts, Taib said her family made sure they set aside their Zakat al-Fitr, the special obligatory alms by Muslims at the end of Ramadan. “We also pray for peace in the world and in our community,” she added.

The Zareen family from Pakistan bought gifts for everyone in the family. Shahid, the father, said he and his wife Saima got new clothes and toys for their three children — Tayyaba, 11; Sameer, 8; and Kabeer, 5. “They will be wearing their new clothes during Eid. We will just stay here in Dubai on the first day of Eid, but the next day, we will visit my sister in Fujairah,” said Shahid, adding: “I also bought a special dress for my wife.”

Although traditional Eid cards are no longer included in shopping lists, Shahid said he would be sending e-cards, “as almost everyone nowadays has a smartphone”. Gifts to family back home

Indian expatriate Mohammed Asif is not living with his family in Dubai, so he has sent his Eid gifts a week ago to his family in Kerala. “I just sent them money and my wife will buy the gifts for our kids and family,” he said. He added: “During Eid, my friends and I will go to a mall, then we will probably stay at a friend’s house where we can exchange our gifts. I got them perfume and some novelty items. I also checked the malls early to look for good deals.”

Malls across the UAE are not only adorned with Eid decorations and discount sales, but there are also surprises offering various prizes to shoppers. The Dubai Shopping Malls Group, for instance, has rolled out Eid Al Fitr Spend and Win campaign that started on April 22 and will run until the second day of Eid. Customers who spend Dh100 or more will get a chance to win up to Dh200,000 in cash as Eidiya. A total of 46 winners stand to gain cash prizes of Dh3,000, Dh5,000 and Dh10,000.

Online retailers are also offering Eid sale, where savings can be made across a variety of categories — from laptops to cameras, as well as home accessories and DYI (do-it-yourself) items.

Several jewellery retailers in the country are also offering Eid promotions, as gold prices went down earlier this week, bringing the Dubai Gold Rate down to under Dh220 a gram for 22K for the first time in four weeks.

Retailers are expecting an increase in sales, but some shoppers are still waiting for gold prices to dip further dip. Some shoppers, however, already took the plunge and went for gold — just as Taib did for her daughter.