A biting cold wave is gripping parts of the country, including the capital Dhaka, during this Bengali month of Poush.

It has become difficult to go outside without warm clothes, and even indoors, the cold is being felt. As a result, sales of winter clothing have increased in different markets of the capital.

A visit to the ground found heavy crowds of buyers at New Market, New Super Market, Chandrima Super Market, Nurjahan Plaza, Globe Super Market, Gausia Market, Hawkers Market and Badruddoza Super Market. Along with brisk sales, bargaining between buyers and sellers is also in full swing. 

Visiting various markets, shopping malls, and footpaths in the capital shows that winter clothes of various colours and designs are displayed at almost every shop. 

Jackets, sweaters, blazers, hoodies, sweatshirts, Maggie sleeves, heavyweight T-shirts, mufflers, ear caps and many kinds of winter wear of different sizes and qualities are neatly arranged.

Md Ashraful Alam, a salesman of New Market, told BSS that due to the sudden increase in cold, sales of winter clothes have risen significantly over the last few days. “What we used to sell a few days ago has now doubled,” he said.

At Nurjahan Market, Dolly Chandra Das, a resident of Azimpur, came to buy winter clothes for her children. 

She said the intensity of the cold has increased over the past week. “Everyone had winter clothes from last year, and we started wearing those. My daughter is seven, and my son is two. They are insisting on new winter clothes, so I came out to buy jackets of their choice,” she said.

As the cold intensifies, a large crowd is also being seen at footpath shops in New Market, Farmgate, Gulistan, Mouchak and Mirpur areas of the capital. Sales there have almost doubled. People from all walks of life, from lower- to middle-income groups, are flocking to these shops. 

Buyers are satisfied as prices are within reach. From morning till night, these areas remain bustling with the calls of buyers and sellers.

At some shops, prices are displayed, so there is no hassle of bargaining, allowing customers to buy clothes of their choice easily. People are happy as they can buy winter garments at lower prices than in markets. In many places, there is hardly any space to stand in front of the shops. 

However, a large crowd is noticed at shops selling old imported winter clothes. Customers were seen buying hoodies, sweaters, tights, jackets, children’s ear caps, women’s cardigans, mufflers, socks, trousers, long-sleeved vests, shawls, children’s jumpers and fabric shoes.

At footpath shops, depending on quality, adult winter wear is priced between Taka 300 and Taka 1,000, while various winter items for children are available between Taka 200 and Taka 500. For middle- and low-income people, these shops have now become the main reliance. Many are buying multiple garments at once for family members.

Market traders said that, depending on quality, winter clothes are being sold from Tk250 to Tk2,000-3,000. However, most sales are within the Tk250 to Tk700 range.

Footpath hawkers said that as people are suddenly feeling more cold, the demand for warm clothes has increased much more than before, creating opportunities for extra income for traders. 

They buy various winter clothes from wholesalers and sell them on the streets. Since prices are low, customers are willing to buy. They added that as the cold increases, demand will continue to rise. For ordinary people, footpath winter clothing shops are the most dependable option. Without them, low-income people would not be able to cope with the cold. They also said that old clothes are often warmer and much cheaper than new ones.

Rubel Hasan, a footpath seller in the New Market area, said, “We don’t have to pay shop rent, so we can sell at low profit. Ordinary people can also buy winter clothes from us at lower prices. Over the past few days, customer pressure has increased a lot, and our sales have gone up significantly. So we sell at a low profit because the volume is higher. We buy goods in bundles. Each bundle costs between Taka 500 and Taka 1,000, and by selling each bundle we make a profit of Tk2,000 to Tk3,000.”

Rafiul Islam, who came from Kalabagan to New Market to buy a hoodie, said he came because good-quality clothes are available here at low prices. “Winter clothes on the footpath are comparatively cheaper, and you can check them before buying, so I came. Besides, you get various types of foreign clothes here. But the place is always crowded with hawkers and people, making it difficult to walk,” he added.