Sale of thobes dips in Festive season

Melvin Mendonca/DTNN

melvin@dt.bh

Manama

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Though business activities usually gain momentum ahead of Eid, the sale of thobes has dropped this year, apparently due to rise in cost of living.

Mohammed Hassan, In-charge of Al Haramain Tailoring in Gudaibiya, said the drop in thobe sale during Eid season has never happened before. “We do experience ups and downs in our business during other seasons, but never during Eid,” he said.

“In the previous years, the shops buzzed with activities, and the parking lots remained full during Eid,” he added. He said the reason for drop in sale could be that the festival came soon after the reopening of schools, which require plenty of spending.

Echoing a similar opinion, in-charge of Ezz Al Awtan Tailoring in Gudaibiya, Rajan P.K said that citizens travelling to other places during the vacation could be the reason for the dull business. 

He said the demand for thobe had always remained high and it usually took about 10-14 days to deliver it. “During festival seasons, it took longer to deliver due to high demand. But this year the situation is that we take the measurement of the customer and deliver the next day,” he said. 

Situation in thobe sale in other parts of the Kingdom is also no different. An employee at Ali Al Qaed Tailoring Shop in Hamad Town said they used to get around 30 customers a day a few months back compared to hardly 10 that they get now.