The overcrowding was not limited to one market or a single mall but all of them, as residents were keen to do their last-minute shopping.
Muhammad Qaid, a salesman at a clothes shop in Bab Sharif, said they remained open for 24 hours a day during the last week of Ramadan. "We gear up for the shopping spree in the last two days before the Eid. We remain open well after suhoor and Fajr prayer so that people can finish their shopping," he said.
Qaid said this was not limited to Bab Sharif, an old and famous market, but also applies to other traditional and conventional markets.
Ahmad Al-Amoudi, a clothes merchant, said many middle-income residents of Jeddah prefer to do their shopping at stalls, believing their prices are less than those of shops inside malls. "For this reason, many big merchants with shops were keen to display their goods at stalls," he said.
Al-Amoudi said foreigners in Jeddah prefer to do their shopping at the last moment when their Eid holidays start. He added that these foreign workers usually buy clothes to send to their families back home to wear during Eid.
A number of shop owners said foreign pilgrims who came to the Kingdom to perform Umrah during Ramadan would come down from Makkah to Jeddah every day to do their shopping and then go back. They said the foreign pilgrims continue their shopping until the middle of Shawwal (Sept. 15) before it is time for them to go home.
Aware of the foreign pilgrims’ need to make this daily journey to Jeddah, the taxi drivers have increased their rate from SR10 per person from Makkah to Jeddah to SR100.
Khaled Hassan, a clothes merchant, said the last minute shoppers usually go for accessories. They said Saudi men buy Shumagh (head dress) and underwear while women go for lingerie and the foreigners buy clothes to wear during the Eid holidays.
They said children’s toys were also among the favorite items for Saudi and foreign shoppers in addition to gifts and sweets.
The tailors stitching men's clothes remain open for 24 hours a day in order to be able to finish their work and deliver the clothes to their clients before Eid.
