KARACHI: Before the Ramzan Eid shopping takes place randomly and there are countless trips to the shopping centers throughout Ramazan but after the 15th Ramazan Eid shopping reaches at its peak. Naturally the markets around the city are buzzing day in and day out. Karachi is already famous for a nightlife in the happening, with Eid looming over; it’s the city that never sleeps in Ramazan. There is a fun in night shopping as people prefer to go after iftar. Sparkling lights, Glittering shopping malls, overcrowded roads, heavy rush in clothes, garments, shoes and cosmetics shops and visiting food streets during shopping are real essence of Eid shopping. Eid shopping is in full swing now which will continue till the Eid moon night and people will be busy after ifatr in shopping. Eid is celebrated only because of children and the real meaning of shopping is for children and women. Every market booms with shopkeeper’s lauding and bargaining whether it is Tariq Road or Zainab Market. It is also a serious matter to find out a place for parking after iftar. This is one of the reasons why shopping malls with valet service are everyone’s favorite haunts. Boys though do not have much option to adorn them; their only choice is to select shalwar qameez or matching pant shirt, wrist watches and goggles. As far as the girls are concerned, they have various choices in front of them. Different designs and styles of dresses, scarves with matching shoes and jewellery is a dream of every young girl. One of shopkeeper at Zainab Market said that people wait for the entire year for Eid, so they have to buy at least essential items for their families. Children’s items are in a great demand, because every family, whatever their economic position is, prefers to buy something for their young ones. During the initial days of Ramazan, there was rush in cloth shops and at tailors’, but as the Eid approaches, people start buying readymade clothes at garment shops or boutiques, shoes, bangles and cosmetics. A shopkeeper told Daily Times that for the women shopping is a hobby, so their buying continues till Eid night. They visit these shopping centers, sometimes for buying forgotten things and making changes of sizes or colours. The busiest shopping areas of Karachi are Bohri Bazar Saddar, Zainab Market, Atrium mall, Gold Mark I and II shopping centres on main Korangi Road, Gulf and Clif shopping mall, Zamzama market, Dolmen Mall Clifton, Tariq Road Bahudarabd, Jama Clothes, Allha Wali Market, Motan Das, Light House, Boultan Market, Jubilee Cinema, Super Market Liaqatabad, Millinium Mall, Hyedri Market, Malir’s Liaquat Market, Orangi’s Nishan-i-Haider Chowk, New Karachi market, Landhi’s Babar Market and Korangi market, Shon CircleHoti Market, North Nazimabad’s Haidery market, Karimabad’s Meena Bazaar, Bazaar-e-Faisal, FB Area’s Anarkali market . Some shopping malls have set up mini Meena Bazaars wherever they can find enough room with cubicle full of pretty imitation jewellery and reasonably-priced dresses for men, women and children hanging from the rail racks. Some are selling wrist watches and goggles for youngsters. Most of the garment shops have put up big posters of ‘50% off’ to attract the customers from afar. But actually it is ‘Up to 50% off’. But reality is entirely different as you will enter and find some item that is only 5% off and another 10% or 15% off only. There is hardly anything in there that is actually 50% off except for that reject pieces of grey, mustard or dirty, old fashioned T-shirts or jeans with their inside labels cut into half. New footwear is also as important as new clothes for Eid. Actually, it is something which takes more time when you have children. They always demand new and different designs of shoes which are not easy to find but since China has entered in our market we have every kind of brand and styles designed at reasonable prices. Middle class people spend approx 1500 per person and elite class spends a maximum of 50,000 per person on Eid shopping on a average. Last year it was claimed that Pakistan’s Eid shopping had touched Rs 100 billion which was higher than 2015 because of better law and order situation of the country. Atiq Mir, President All-Karachi Tajir Ittehad told Daily Times that traders are expecting higher business as compared to last year.