Malls see low sales, hygiene rules neglected

Shopping malls and markets in the capital witnessed considerable crowds but very low sales on Friday – the first weekend after their reopening on 11 August following the removal of strict Covid restrictions for about one and a half months.

The crowds at the markets were often seen ignoring the hygiene rules.

Many shops and shopping malls also flouted the 10am-to-8pm rule for keeping open. Restaurants were allowed to operate till 10pm by keeping half of their seats empty, but they also did not follow the rule.

Traders said sales were good on the first day of reopening, but they had declined since Thursday. They expect that buyers will gradually increase and sales will be better.

A number of people said the economy might gain momentum from the reopening of everything at once, but it was not right to open everything without vaccinating everyone.

Kabir Hossain, a shopkeeper at Tushar Fabrics in Nur Mansion, told The Business Standard, "Sales are much lower than usual. People are not coming. It would have been better if people over the age of 40 had been vaccinated before opening everything."

Besides, many people in the crowd ignore hygiene rules, said shoppers and traders at the Bashundhara City Shopping Complex, the New Market, and some other shopping malls in Farmgate, Karwan Bazar and Elephant Road areas.

Crowds of shoppers visited Chandni Chawk, Gausia, Dhanmondi Hawkers Markets in the New Market area yesterday, but most of them just observed items on display on the sidewalks while only a small number of buyers bought products. Most of the shopkeepers just sat inside the markets and idled away the day.

Customers were seen standing very close to each other while buying things from footpath hawkers. Many of them were also not wearing masks properly.

Md Ibrahim, an employee at Rafin Fashion, said, "Our daily sales would normally amount to around Tk8,000-10,000 during this season but now it is around Tk2,000-3,000. People are coming but our sales are low. It is still better to sell something than sitting idly at home."

Laboni Akhter, who came to the market with a child, said, "I came out today after three days. Everything looks normal, but the fear of Covid-19 is always there."

Shamim Hossain, a shopkeeper at Bichitra cosmetics shop, told TBS, "Sales were good on the first day of reopening but it is not very good now. Currently, our sales are 50% of what it was in normal times. Sales will increase gradually after some time."

Like him many other shop owners expressed their hope that sales would increase gradually over time.

Meanwhile, shop owners in Bashundhara said they were getting more customers on Friday than the previous two days.

Rabiul Hasan, manager of Cat's Eye at Bashundhara, said their current sales were 40% compared to the normal times.

He said, "I hope the sales will be normal in a couple of weeks. The fear of Covid-19 is still in everyone's mind so no one is coming to shop unless it is absolutely necessary."

"We are very conscious about hygiene in our market. Moreover, if the customers or the employees of a shop complain three times about not having a mask, that shop is fined and closed down," he added.

Food courts, restaurants more crowded

Most of the food courts and restaurants in the capital are not abiding by the rule of making seating arrangements at half of their capacities after reopening. This violation of rules was prevalent in food-courts and restaurants of Bashundhara City, Kataban, Elephant Road and New Market area.

As Friday was the weekly holiday, the crowds at the food courts were increasing since the afternoon. There were larger crowds in the hotels and restaurants adjacent to the market and shopping centres.

Talking to at least ten customers at the food-court in Bashundhara City, our correspondent found that they did not know about the rule of keeping half the seats at the restaurants vacant. Most of them were eating in groups and many did not follow hygiene rules while eating and chatting together.

Rabiul, the manager of a food shop, told TBS, "Our shops were closed for so long and now a few people have started coming, so I can't turn anyone away. However, we serve food in accordance with the hygiene rules and request people to follow rules."

 "We do not know how many people we are allowed to accommodate. Everything is open so we are letting everyone sit," said Shafiq, an employee at a restaurant in the New Market area.

Most of the shopkeepers said they knew about the rule of leaving half the seats vacant, but they could not follow it due to rush during the weekend.