Barishal city's Eid market has become crowded ahead of the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr. The sellers are also very happy with this. At the same time, tailors in the city have stopped taking orders. All in all, sellers are struggling to cope with the pressure of buyers.

Since the last 15th Ramadan, retail and wholesale clothing sellers of districts, upazilas and cities have started various decorations and preparations to attract customers. Small and big markets, famous foreign showrooms and shopping malls are full of clothes inside and outside all the areas are shining with colorful lights. Markets are also crowded with enthusiastic buyers. Fashion houses and markets are spread out with new collections brought from different countries of the world including India.

Householders are busy shopping with their families. Selling running until midnight. Also there is a bikini going on in shoe showrooms. A huge rush was observed in the tailors making the clothes. Meanwhile, big tailors have stopped taking orders for making clothes.

BM College students Jessica Ahmed Jui, housewives Mumtaz Begum, Ferdous Jahan Ankhi, who came to Chawkbazar in the city to buy Eid clothes, said that this year, since the second week of fasting, they have visited several markets in the city for Eid shopping. But this year, the prices of all Eid items and clothes are three to four times higher than last year.

Mrinal Kanti Saha, the owner of 'Swadeshi Bastralaya' in Chowkbazar area of the city, said that customers are buying clothes and sarees with new designs.

Overcrowding of buyers has been observed in Chawkbazar, Venus Market, Sadar Road, Hemayet Uddin Road, Sobahan Complex, Fakir Complex, shopping malls of the city. Also, the crowd of buyers from lower and middle class families is noticeable in City Market and Mohsin Market.

This year around Eid, the markets of the city are full of foreign clothes as well as local clothes. Eid market has seen huge demand for Punjabi among men.

Barishal Metropolitan Police Commissioner Jihadul Kabir said that the members of the Metropolitan Police are working round the clock to provide perfect security to the buyers and traders in the Eid market and to keep the traffic free.

Apart from this, to maintain the law and order situation of the city, the city is being monitored 24 hours by installing 260 CC cameras throughout the city.

He further said that the entire city of divisional city Barishal is now under police surveillance through Integrated Command and Control Center for maintaining law and order situation, crime control, traffic and police station control and social media monitoring for better police service. Because of that, even at midnight, Eid shopping is going on in various markets and shopping malls of the city.

Besides, all kinds of vehicles have been stopped on the roads of Chawkbazar and Girja Mohalla area of the city to handle the pressure of the buyers.

Barishal, the southern divisional city, has a large population of professional people. Along with this, enthusiastic buyers from different districts and upazilas are rushing to Barishal city for Eid shopping. Because of that, the city's shopping malls are crowded with people eager to do Eid shopping.

Everyone is feeling comfortable buying bahari clothes for girls, sarees, three-piece and men's shirt-pants, Punjabi, children's clothes in this Eid market. Buyers tend to buy foreign products as well as domestic products.

Shopkeepers said that cotton sarees are most preferred by women this Eid. Besides, there are Tant-Jamdani, Muslin Jamdani and Dupatta; Which is being sold from Tk. 2500 to Tk. 8000.

Mirpuri katan, silk and jute katan are also in demand; which is being sold, between Tk. 10 and Tk. 25 thousand. The girls' three-piece is slightly different this time. Newly designed three-pieces named 'P-K', 'Kalpanik', 'Love Story' are in great demand in Barishal's Eid market. These three-pieces are being sold from Tk. 3,200 to Tk 22,000.

Cotton-Punjabi and Sherwani for boys are selling high. Its price ranges from Tk. 3,200 to Tk. 16,000. A large crowd was observed for Eid shopping, at clothing stores of various brands including 'Richman-Lebanon', 'Smarttex', 'Swapna', 'Star Plus', 'Bang', 'Chandrabindu', 'Bishwa Rang', 'Arang'.

Housewife Sima Ahmed, who came to buy local sarees at Chawkbazar market stalls in Barishal city, said that sarees and three-pieces are the first choice of women in any Bengali festival. And on the occasion of Eid, I want a saree or three-piece! The appeal of sarees for women and Punjabi for men on Eid will never end. Both these clothes have gained prominence in this Eid.

Saree sellers in various shopping malls of Barishal city said that wholesale and retail sari sellers have imported Gujarati silk, Baha silk, Manipuri katan, Manipuri cotton, pure silk, georgette and net sarees from India this year. But this time most of the buyers have Dhakai Jamdani, Tangail Jamdani, Tanter Saree, Soft Silk and Jute Jamdani on their list. Their prices are also within the reach of buyers. This year, more expensive sarees are being sold at Tk. 5 to Tk. 7 thousand on Eid.

They also said that buyers are looking for comfortable sarees keeping in mind the scorching heat.

Around Eid-ul-Fitr, the presence of shoppers on footpaths is more noticeable than in the city's famous shopping malls. Buyers claimed that the price of clothing in Barishal is 3/4 times higher than last time. Hence, they are forced to buy from sidewalk shops at much cheaper prices to meet the needs of family members.

In front of the city building and around Abdur Rahman, an official of a private organization who came to do Eid shopping from the temporary store on the sidewalk of the area, said that the price of clothes is so high that it is not worth saying! Very difficult for ordinary people like us!

A government official named Hasan Siddique said that the branded clothes are good but their prices are kept several times higher. We can buy similar clothes from the footpath for Tk. 1000, which are asking for Tk. 4000 in market stalls. So, I was forced to buy from the pavement shop.

A housewife named Nabila Akhter Jitu said, I visited almost all the showrooms of the brand in the city. In every showroom and market the clothes are overpriced. So, I did my Eid shopping from the sidewalk at a very low price.

However, denying these complaints of the buyers, Imran Sheikh, manager of 'Top-Ten' Barishal branch, said, "We are always trying to maintain the quality of the clothes. The price of each of our products has been adjusted to match the quality.

On the other hand, in Barishal, buyers have complained that cosmetics and clothes are being sold at prices several times higher than the fixed price. In that case, the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection has no such campaign.

However, an official of the consumer district office said, where a reasonable profit can be made in each product, there is a tendency to make 90 to 100 percent profit in Barishal, among the traders. Besides, many have added VAT unethically separately. Legal action is being taken against them.

From big shopping malls to pavement shops, after Eid shopping with ease, payments are now being made using the 'bkash' payment method. Easy, secure, hassle-free and fast digital transactions through 'bkash' payments after Eid shopping from preferred fashion houses, Famous showrooms, shopping malls, markets, clothing and footwear outlets and pavement shops have now become a part of the lifestyle of buyers and sellers.

Barishal city's largest market Chawkbazar came to do Eid shopping with his family. Shahnaz Ruby said, I try more or less 'bkash' payment in all purchases throughout the year. Moreover, all small and big shops have the facility of 'bkash' payment.

He also said that the biggest advantage of 'bkash' digital payment is that I don't have to carry cash in shopping malls. As a result, there is no need to worry about money being stolen or torn.

Buyers as well as sellers are heaving a sigh of relief by accepting digital payments.

Abdul Khaleq, a businessman of Chawkbazar, said that, in view of the holy Eid-ul-Fitr, the crowd of customers is more or less constant from morning to midnight every day. Keeping track of money has become much easier thanks to the 'bkash' payment service. There is no problem with counterfeit or fake money. Also, you don't have to worry about the risk of keeping a lot of cash at the end of the day.