Shopping for Eid al Adha reaches a frenzied peak

With Eid al Adha shopping reaching its frenzied peak, a wave of excitement could be seen among the citizens and expatriates alike on Saturday evening.

With the holidays already announced, malls and traditional markets, in and around Muscat, are buzzing with people of all ages to finish their shopping. Those who want to avoid the hassle of venturing out are probably heading online with the help of e-commerce.

The heavy rush during the weekend has forced several retailers to stay open late in the night. They expect a bigger crowd on Sunday as Monday is the first day of Eid al Adha.

Almost all shopping malls, hypermarkets and brands have launched massive promotional campaigns to woo customers with offers of deep discounts, some even up to 60 per cent. If an outlet is offering ‘Buy Two, Get One Free’, the other is there to outclass the first with ‘Buy One, Get One Free’. According to shopkeepers in Muttrah, the number of people arriving at this traditional souq has doubled since Thursday.

“Most of them are doing lastminute purchases,” said Syed Mohamed, a salesman. It is not only the residents of Muscat who visit the souq for Eid shopping, but people from remote areas too come in large numbers for bulk purchases. Most of the locals come in the night to do their shopping.

“Women and young girls have been visiting our shop since last month to pick their favourite fabric to design their own dresses and traditional embroidered abayas ahead of Eid,” said Ali Javed, owner of a garment shop in Muttrah. Finding a parking space is the biggest problem that shoppers to this traditional souq is facing.

“The limited parking lots on the Sea Road, leave alone the busy hours, are always full. This makes many visitors to park their vehicles at distance places like Riyam Park and walk down,” he said.