Islamabad   -  The winter season has begun and once again the ‘landa bazaars’ of the capital city, despite of surge in prices of used clothes, has started pulling its customer.

These bazaars, in every winter season, provide second-hand wearable items to a large portion of the population of the city belonging to low-income groups.

The city though has so proper used clothes’ market, but has observed a notable surge in the number of customers of used clothes, as the population of the city has grown to above two million.

The vendors running the landa bazaar are found scattered in the city. They set their makeshift stalls in Aabpara market, G-9 Markaz and weekly bazaars of Capital Development Authority (CDA).

Dozens of vendors have set up their makeshift stalls at Aabpara market as the bazaar is a centre place for the large population settled in rural areas of the city.

These makeshift stalls are filled with number of wearable items used in winter. Leather jackets – new and second hand, long coats, sweaters, socks, shoes trousers, scarves, caps, joggers and shawls covering ladies and gents’ variety is available in affordable prices than the big shopping malls.

Rafaqat Ali brought his family including his wife and two children for winter shopping in Aabpara landa bazaar.

He parked his bike and the family started searching for wearable items for them from different stalls.

“Prices of winter clothes in landa bazaar are though affordable, but a family with low income has felt the surge in prices in this market also” said Rafaqat Ali.

Rafaqat works as a clerk in a private organisation and earns Rs35,000 monthly in which he pays his utility bills and also monthly fee of his elder son Ahmed Ali. His monthly income and expenses do not allow him to take his family for buying new clothes in winter.

He said that prices of used items had increased this year. “The children jackets and sweaters are being sold around Rs500 to Rs700,” he said.

Rafaqat had planned to purchase sweaters for his two kids; some stuff for his wife and a leather jacket for himself.

“I have to drop my jacket from the list as its going out of the budget we set for the shopping,” he said.

Meanwhile, the vendors have different approach and they consider rate of different items justified as they themselves struggle in covering the cost of items. Samiullah Khan, who every year sets his stall in this market viewed that vendors had not increased the prices but it is due to price hike. “The concept of bargaining on used items is vanishing now,” said Samiullah.

He also said that in his 8-year work experience, he observed the change in social class of his customers. According to him, there was time when only pedestrians were their customers; later people with bicycle and motorbike owners became their customers and now occasionally the people with vehicles also visit and purchase from them. 

He said that prices of the used items ranged from Rs300 to Rs3,000 which also depended on quality of the items. “The items with brand names have higher prices and people demand to wear the shirts and jackets of international brands,” said Sami.

He also said that the business activity had though observed little movement in the landa bazaar but still it was waiting for large number of customers.

“Our business is dependent on downpour; the sooner it happens, the sooner the business activities begin,” he said.

He added that in November, average sale of the vendors was revolving around Rs600.

The demand of leather jacket is always high every season and this year the prices are between Rs2,500 to Rs3,000.

“It’s quite reasonable for the customer as the same item in any shop is being sold around Rs10,000,” he said.

However, Ali Murtaza, a student and a sportsman believed that the price range of the items available in the makeshift market was going out of the reach from the customers.

“I need new joggers as I play cricket but the pair I selected is expensive and out of my reach,” he said. He said that the known trend of purchasing imported used stuff for cheaper prices from the landa bazaar was becoming a distant dream for the poor now. “One has to come to this market by keeping Rs1,000 at least in his/her pocket,” said Ali.

“Though the price hike has affected the customer and vendor of the landa bazaar but still it is blessing for those who are hardly earning their bread and butter,” he said.

 

 

rahul basharat