“If he can’t find well-paying work soon, we’ll have to wear old clothes again this Eid”

Day labourer Jalil Uddin has been struggling to put food on the table three times a day for his family of four. Now, his nine-year-old daughter is demanding new clothes for Eid.

Jalil lives with his wife and two children at the Kalapani Slum in Dhaka’s Mirpur-12. He lives on construction work but isn’t hired every day, so it’s difficult to save anything.

Regarding his daughter’s wish, his wife Khadija Akhtar says: “Her father doesn’t get work every day. If he did, we could save some money and buy something. The younger one doesn’t ask for anything as she doesn’t understand. But she recognises [the tradition of] new clothes.”

“If he finds some well-paying work before Eid, we could buy something. Otherwise, we’ll have to wear old clothes again this Eid.”

The 9-year-old girl realises that, despite her pleas, new Eid clothes are still a doubt.

She said, “I have been asking for [new clothes] for a long time. I don’t know when they’ll buy me those. Everyone I know is buying new clothes.”

As Eid approaches, construction worker Noor Nahar is trying to save some of her daily wages to buy Eid clothes for her only son.

Noor Nahar lives in the Mazar Road area of Mirpur. Her husband has been ill and hasn’t been working for over 10 days. As a result, she is the one who has to provide for their family.

When asked about Eid shopping, Noor Nahar said: "I earn Tk 400 a day. Nothing’s left after I pay for food and rent. That's why I haven't bought anything yet."

"If I can save some money, I hope to buy shirts and pants for my son from the sidewalk stalls."

Since the middle of Ramadan, the capital's most expensive shopping malls have been buzzing with activity, while other markets are lively as well. But many people from low-income groups, like Noor Nahar and Khadija, have yet to make plans for Eid shopping.

They don’t frequent Dhaka’s fanciest malls. They scour sidewalk stalls for bargains. They don’t ask for much, but can’t always afford new clothes every Eid. Some of the children get jobs doing manual labour in the hopes of saving something for Eid clothes. Even then, they can’t always afford it.

Asma Begum, a domestic aide from Mirpur, has not yet received her salary and bonus. As a result, she has not made any plans for Eid shopping.

She said, "In previous years, the homes where I worked used to give clothes for my children. I would get sarees from different places too. This time I didn’t get them. They (the homes where she works) haven’t received their bonuses either, so they can’t give us money. If they do, I will buy clothes for my children from the sidewalk."

Sabana Khatun, a construction worker from Gabtoli, earns Tk 10,000 a month. Last year, she bought a three-piece dress for herself. This year, she bought the same for her daughter from the sidewalk for Eid.

“Everyone wants to buy something good. But even if poor people want to, they can’t afford it. I’m cutting my diet to save some money and go shopping with it. Prices are rising, but I don’t get much work,” she said.

Main Uddin, a rickshaw driver in Mohakhali, plans to buy new clothes for his children before returning to his village home for Eid.

He said, “I can’t earn that much while fasting. I get tired and I can’t work much. Prices are high and I can’t buy anything.”

“I haven’t been able to buy my wife anything for several Eids. Nothing for myself either. But I can’t help but get something for the kids. From whatever I earn until Eid, I will buy clothes for my two children from the sidewalks.”

Eid is just over a week away, and shopkeepers in Mirpur are still worried about a lack of low-income shoppers.

Mujibur Rahman Talukder of New Al Amin Saree Bitan in Mohammadiya Market in Mirpur-11, said: "There are no customers. Sales have dropped by 40 percent. The situation is very bad. People used to buy five to six sarees and give them to the poor people around their homes. Some would buy many sarees.

"This year, there are very few such customers. People want to put food in their bellies before spending money on shopping."

Mithu Bepari, a seller at another saree shop called Anamika claims that sales of low-quality clothes have gone down. Last Ramadan, the shop sold 2,000 cheaper sarees, but this time they have only sold 500 of them as of 21st of Ramadan.

“All the sarees are lying around. Previously, MPs, ministers, and businessmen used to buy them and give them to the poor people of the area. Now, there are no buyers. Some ordinary people are buying them to give to their domestic aides, but there are fewer of them as well.”

“People don’t have money. They can’t even shop for themselves. And we don’t get poorer customers.”

Md Atif, a salesman at Pushpa Saree Shop, said: “There are not many customers who are buying in bulk this time. We don’t see low-income buyers either. Customers are buying one or two pieces of retail clothing. Some are buying gifts, but not many. That’s why we aren’t displaying that many clothes of that quality this time.”

Doorman Anis Hossain was buying a party frock for his daughter from the sidewalk in Mirpur-10. He said, “The prices of clothing in the markets are very high. You can’t find anything for less than Tk 500, even on the footpath.

“The money I get from my salary goes towards rent, food, and the child's expenses. There is nothing left. Even if I don't buy something for myself, I have to endure the hardship and get something for my child."

Roadside trader Sobuj Mia said that although most of their customers had been from low-income families, middle-class people were also flocking to sidewalk stalls. Despite this, sidewalk sales have yet to pick up.

"They come here because the prices at the markets are high. This time the prices on the sidewalks are a little higher too. Maybe people just don’t have the money. That’s why they don't come. We are seeing very few such (low-income) people this time.”