Souqs witness steady stream of Eid shoppers

Souqs around the country have been doing brisk business in the run-up to Eid al-Adha as many people prefer to have their dressed specially tailored and crafted for the occasion. 

Some shops had also announced discounts on such products to attract more customers, according to local Arabic daily Arrayah. A large number of Qataris and expatriates have visited these souqs over the past few weeks looking for various kinds of special items for Eid, especially clothes and accessories. Accordingly, shopkeepers at a good number of outlets stressed that they have seen an increase of around 60% in their sales recently. The prices of traditional women's dresses ranged from QR120-600, sometimes going even higher, depending on the type and quality of fabric and design. Other types of women's and girls' outfits were available for QR100-1,000, the daily reported.Places such as Souq Waqif and Souq Faleh have witnessed a steady stream of visitors heading to clothes and tailoring shops to get their Eid clothes ready in time for the celebration. Shops have also been keen to supply their customers with the latest designs and fashion trends to cater to their diverse needs.Some tailors stressed that women usually opt for innovative designs with decorations and embroidery. Similarly, tailoring shops at Souq Al Ali have seen a surge in orders by Qatari men for thobes (the traditional local dress) for them and their children. Besides, men's accessories shops, too, have been enjoying brisk business at the souq. 

The majority of tailoring shops at these places said they stopped taking new orders at least five-six days ago, and had also extended their working hours to deliver the dresses before the Eid holidays. Though the demand is high in view of the festive season, a number of customers said the prices of fabrics and accessories were reasonable and they did not observe any considerable hike in rates as the supply of goods was more than enough. In addition, the tailoring charges were "mostly acceptable by customers with rarely any complaints in this respect", the daily added.