AMMAN — As
Eid Al-Fitr approaches, clothing store owners
that have suffered throughout the pandemic are hoping that they will receive a
much-needed spike in business.
اضافة اعلان
One owner of a clothing store, Raed Mohammad, told
Jordan
News that he had been waiting for eid for months, since earnings typically
double ahead of the holiday. “I have been suffering a lot since the beginning
of the pandemic,” he said. “I had two shops in Amman and I had to close one of
them. I have to pay electricity bills and rent. How can I manage with the great
increase in losses?”
Estimates place investment in the apparel sector at JD800
million, or $1.15 billion, as Jordan imports annually JD280 million worth of
clothes, shoes, and fabrics from Europe, Turkey, China and India, according to
remarks made by the sector’s representative at the Jordan Commerce Chamber
(
JCC), Asaad Al-Qawasmi, to
Quds International Press Agency.
But like many other sectors, clothing shops have suffered
from lack of foot traffic, limitation on working hours, and a drop in
purchasing power.
Ahmad Al Abdallah, another clothing store owner, told
Jordan
News that “even if people come and buy from my shop I will not be able to cover
my losses. Losses are huge and I need months or even years until my financial
situation stabilizes.”
“Lockdowns and early curfew led people to not buy clothes,” he
explained. “They only buy what they need, their priorities are different now.”
“Online shopping had played a big role
in our losses too,” Abdallah
added. “I do not know why, we as owners even lowered our prices so that people
of varying incomes may be able to shop.”
Contrary to that testimony however, citizens speaking to
Jordan News said that to clothing stores raise their prices during occasions
like eid, making online shopping more attractive.
“I personally believe that online shopping is much better,”
said one consumer. “Prices are affordable and I can find better quality
clothing than what’s available in shops.”
Besides prices, another attraction for online shopping for
some, is the self-service nature of the process. “Some clothing store owners
and employees do not know how to deal with the customer,” another shopper said.
“I remember one day I had a fight with an employee because he was not treating
me well. At the end he apologized and said that he was nervous due to the lack
of work and earnings.”
Despite this, Munir Deyye, president of the Textile and
Readymade Clothes Syndicate, told Jordan News that “there is a huge demand for
clothing these days due to the occasion of Eid Al Fitr. The end of the Friday
lockdowns have helped a lot.”
“Yet I can confirm that this demand is still less than that
of past years,” he added. “It is not sufficient to compensate our losses.”
Around 9,800 clothing and shoe stores are spread across the
various governorates of the Kingdom. Clothing stores’ profits have dropped by
almost 70 percent, according to Deyye, which is “a serious indication that
owners are suffering a lot. Some stores have closed. They could not handle the
losses and we are afraid that more stores will close in the near future if the
situation remains as is.”
The JCC has suggested one possible solution to remedy the
drop in purchases across sectors: reducing curfew hours. Nael Kabariti,
president of the JCC, told
Jordan News that “curfew hours should be reduced
during eid and before eid.”
“Most of the people work during the day, and most of them
fast too. These factors make them do less shopping,” he explained. “So we are
looking at extending the working hours and limiting night curfew hours.”
“The private sector understands well that health is very
important, but the government has to understand too that the economy is very
important as well, especially on the long run,” Kabariti added. “The only
solution left to us is to keep the economy going, and open the sectors.”
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