The prices of goods and commodities, particularly clothes, are skyrocketing ahead of Eid, making them almost unaffordable for the average customer.

Speaking on the issue, Abdulmoneim Mustafa, a Jeddah resident, said: “I have no choice but to depend on my friends for financial support to purchase garments and other necessities before Eid due to the soaring prices.”

Mustafa, who earns a salary of SR5,000, called on authorities to intervene quickly and put a check on the price increases in the market.

Meanwhile, retailers are witnessing an increase of more than 50 percent in the number of customers as Eid approaches near.

The occasion of Eid is a high season for sales. A number of customers told Arab News that the prices of some clothing items have increased drastically. Some clothes have prices as high as SR500, raising questions among the shoppers about how to divide their budget between shopping for clothes and other basic necessities.

Shop owners, on the other hand, take advantage of the festive season and offer many promotions to lure customers to buy their goods which are often tagged at high prices owing to the unmonitored and unregulated market environment.

Sameer, also a Jeddah resident, said the trend of raising prices with the approaching Eid will not change owing to a lack of monitoring of the retailers who determine the prices despite their claims that the prices are set by the market.

With salaries ranging between SR3,000 and SR5,000, Sameer and Ammar said that the basic necessities of Eid are beyond their reach.

“If the price of a single outfit can reach close to SR800, how can young shoppers buy several outfits without spending almost SR 6,000 or more,” Sameer asked. He appealed to the authorities to put an end to the false inflation.

 
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