LAHORE - Prices of used clothes have doubled as traders moved to cash in on the colder weather after Lahore was lashed by thunderstorms and heavy rains earlier this week.
The city and its suburban areas received heavy rain on Tuesday, which was the first rainfall of the year.
Customers who flocked to the city’s Landa bazaars to buy warm clothes were met with sky-rocketing prices there.
A survey conducted by The Nation shows the jackets, normally ranging Rs300 to Rs400, are being sold for Rs500.
Angry customers complained they had no option but to pay. “Despite the high prices I have to buy warm clothes for my children,” Usman, a customer, told The Nation.
Their complaints reflect widespread frustration at profiteering by traders at the expense of some of the city’s lower middle classes who rely on second-hand clothes for winter.
Customers said they had been wrong-footed by the recent un-seasonally warmer weather in recent weeks and had not been prepared for the cold snap expected to follow recent rain.
“The used garments were not in high demand this season since the temperatures did not plummet to their usual lows. But the recent rain is being exploited by the shopkeepers who are unfairly charging extra for pretty ordinary clothes,” said Naureen Bibi.
Meanwhile, the shopkeepers claimed that they purchased the stuff available in the market at high prices. “We were charging very nominal margin initially, since we bought the stuff at lower prices,” a shopkeeper said.