JEDDAH, 3 August — Shopping malls have reported low-key business during the Jeddah summer festival that officially ended at the weekend.
The presence of in-Kingdom tourists in the city appears to have made only a marginal difference during the current vacation season, according to a survey of citywide shopping areas.
“Where have all the shoppers gone?” is the most common question believed to be staring at shop owners and assistants. Inquiries at the city’s major shopping areas like downtown Balad, Haraaj, Bani Malek, as well as Syrian and Afghan souks show that sales have been on a low key. Shopping centers like Jamjoom, International Market, Sulaimania, Al-Sholla, etc., say there is no dearth of window shoppers but actual buyers are not many. Supermarkets and stores narrate a different story. They say food sales are not much affected, although nonfood items are not much in demand.
Shop owners and assistants say sales are affected because some of the residents are vacationing in other parts of the Kingdom, notably Taif, Baha and Abha or elsewhere in the Middle East-Gulf region.
“We never hope for good sales during this period of time. We know this is the season when people tend to go out. We’re eagerly waiting for the vacation to end so we do normal business.
Aside from the post-vacation season, what we’re looking forward to is the holy month of Ramadan when sales really peak,” Muhammad Al-Shairi, an assistant in a shop dealing in gold and jewelry at Balad, said yesterday. Sales of gold and jewelry, carpets and furniture are reported to be down although some dealers say casual buyers are trickling in.
A tour of Haraaj last evening showed that the market at the south of the city was devoid of the usual rush of people. There were times when cars had to be parked some kilometers away to enter this huge market, which sells everything from pin to piano. Those in the middle and lower income brackets looking for best bargains visit the market.
“Families are coming and bargaining and even buying but the usual crowd is missing,” said Ahmed Saleh who runs a textile outlet in Haraaj. The market also has a separate section where secondhand goods are sold.
Visitors from elsewhere in the Kingdom seem to have concentrated more on some of the entertaining and recreational events that were staged during the summer festival. “Some of the events have interested our children. Of course, we’ve also gone around the best known shopping malls but we have mostly gone in for children’s toys and dresses,” said Asir Daghestani who is here with his family from Al-Ahsa. “We’ve been going to different places in the Kingdom during each summer vacation.
This time we chose this city because of its summer festival. Shops have not interested us as much as events,” he said while shopping for children’s dresses at a fashionable outlet on Tahlia Street.
