But there are also those who buy clothes from street vendors. No wonder these vendors, who set up makeshift stalls along roadsides, look quite busy dealing with customers these days.[break]
"It is our tradition to celebrate Dashain by purchasing new clothes. And people looking for apparels at cheaper price visit us," said Kalpana Pandit, a street vendor who has set up a shop at Koteshwar. Pandit sells apparels for both males and females at prices ranging from Rs 60 to Rs 550.
"These prices look attractive to low-income groups, our major clients. That´s why they come to us," said Pandit.
Ramesh Joshi, who was looking for apparels for his wife and daughter at one of the roadside shops in Koteshwar, lent support to Pandit´s voice. "If these vendors were not here, it would have been difficult for me to buy clothes for my family members," said Joshi, a daily-wage earner who makes about Rs 300 per day.
Sandip Pokharel, who was wandering at a street side shop in New Baneshwar, also said prices offered by street vendors were very reasonable. "I just got two T-shirts for Rs 250 each," he said.
Because of shoppers like Joshi and Pokharel, who look for goods at rock-bottom prices, street vendors are seeing their sales go up by around 100 percent this festive season.
Pandit, for instance, rakes in around Rs 20,000 per day. "Earlier, I just earned Rs 7,000 per day at the most," Pandit said.
The street shops are seeing their sales go up lately as metropolitan police have allowed vendors to sell products on the streets from early in the morning, as against 4pm in the days prior to the festive season began.
"The extension of business hours has greatly benefited us as we can entertain more clients," said Kamal Thapa, who sells ladies apparel in Baneshwar.
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