Malls get busier with last-minute Eid shopping

Dubai Business News — Festivity is in the air and malls and markets across the UAE are busy with people rushing for Eid Al Adha shopping. People are busy shopping for new clothes, sweets and gifts and looking forward to spending the Eid holiday with their families and friends and relatives.

The sales are on, and long queues of people rushing to finish their Eid shopping are a common sight in malls. With families stocking up on gifts, chocolates and outfits, malls and hypermarkets have become a bustle of activity and colour. "Shopping is usually last minute for us," said Uwais Ahmad, a Bur Dubai resident and Indian expatriate.

"We plan to go for shopping tomorrow, even though I know the markets and malls will be very crowded. "But it is not restricted to one day. As we keep getting invites from friends and relatives, the shopping, especially for sweets and gifts, goes on almost throughout the Eid holidays. "I've kept aside Dh2,000-Dh2500 for all the shopping which also includes a sheep for sacrifice."

A time to bond

For Fatima Suhail, a student, who hails from Pakistan, Eid is a time to bond with family and friends. "Due to busy work schedules, we do not get to spend much time together with friends," she said. "As my father and brother will get holidays at the same time, all of us will be together. "We will also be visiting our friends and relatives."

While most people are rushing to make their last-minute buys, Talal Al Mazroui, a 31-year-old Emirati from Abu Dhabi, has comfortably ticked off all the items on his shopping list. "I prefer to prepare for Eid long before the process of shopping becomes hectic," he told Gulf News. "Every Eid, I like to get my five-year-old daughter pretty dresses, and even my three-year-old son wears kanduras on this special occasion.

"My wife and I also place orders with our respective tailors for new kanduras and abayas well before Eid to ensure that the outfits are ready on time." In fact, the only shopping the father-of-two leaves for the last day is chocolates and fresh fruits.
"Other than that, I am just scouring the markets for a goat that we can sacrifice on the first day of Eid," he said.

Others admitted to giving in to bargains.

"The promotions appear so attractive that I have ended up splurging on chocolates and make-up this Eid," said Iqra Yousuf, a 19-year-old student from Pakistan.

Reports from GulfNews.com.