By Hasan Kamoonpuri — MUSCAT — With Eid al Fitr hardly six days away, hypermarkets, dry cleaning, laundry and tailoring shops in the country are having a robust business. Beauty salons are also doing brisk business as the ladies queue up for their henna preparations. For the thousands of tailors, salons, souqs, and shopping malls in Oman, Eid time is prime time for business. They get overloaded with work at this time, and they make hefty profits.
Shopping for their Eid clothes is a common feature among all Muslims. All tailoring shops, whether specialising in dishdasha, children’s or women’s garment, are busy almost round the clock. Parents are particularly enthusiastic to get new clothes for the grown-up girls and boys who began fasting this year for the first time and successfully adopted fasting as a way of life.
Tailoring and readymade garment stores are generally the best gainers before Eid al Fitr and do brisk business because after month-long fasting, it is important to celebrate Eid with a pair of new clothes, perfumes and special dishes with family and friends, says Aisha of Al Khuwair. As a result, everyone is eager to get new Abayas, headscarves, dishdashas, massar (headgear) and a heavy rush can be seen at tailoring and garment shops.
Many tailors have stopped booking new orders for stitching clothes as they are preoccupied with previous orders. Those who are late in placing orders are now going in for readymade garments.
Friday markets are also bustling with activities as the Eid preparations pick up momentum.
Omani and expatriate women are busy in Eid preparations with the occasion drawing near, as city markets are bustling with customers. It is not only the shopping malls in the city that are bustling with activities; jewellery and henna are special attractions for the buyers who mostly shop after Iftar, said Amira in a Ruwi shop.
