Shopping slowdown stuns Pulwama markets ahead of Eid

Pulwama, Mar 29: As Eid-ul-Fitr approaches, markets in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district lack the usual festive fervour. The streets in the town, which used to be teeming with shoppers, saw a noticeable decline in footfall.

The sluggish sales have left hundreds of traders in the area distressed as they were expecting the market to pick up days ahead of Eid.

Mushtaq Ahmad, who runs a hosiery store said that Eid rush was missing from the markets.

“Today, I see only fewer customers. There does not seem much hope for the market to improve as Eid is now drawing closer”, said Ahmad.

He said that although people visited the markets, they refrained from spending much.

Altaf Ahmad Kar, president Traders’ Federation Pulwama said that there had been around 70 percent decline in the customer footfall.

He attributed the low sales to the growing popularity of e-commerce.

“Many consumers choose to shop online. It is one of the key reasons for low sales,” Kar pointed out.

He said that over the last few years, ecommerce had captured a significant share of markets.

The expansion of markets was also seen as a reason for sluggish sales in the main townships.

“New mini-markets have sprung up in almost every village across Kashmir. A significant number of consumers now prefer to shop in their native places,” said Tariq Ahmad, who runs a crockery store.

However, sales at bakeries and confectioneries have begun to pick up as Eid draws closer.

“Over the last two days, we had seen low customers, but today there has been almost a brisk business,” said a bakery owner.

He said that he expected business to pick up soon.

Since COVID-19, the markets across entire south Kashmir usually saw a lower than usual business during the festivals.

Last year, low apple prices were seen to have reduced the purchasing power of a large segment of the population.