Traders eagerly await the arrival of expatriates
Shopkeepers on Hamamyolu Street in Eskişehir said that the shopping density before Eid al-Adha was not at the level they wanted.
Stating that the density of the bazaar is dry, the merchants stated that they hope that citizens living abroad will come to Turkey as soon as possible.
Stating that the work stopped after the holidays, Eskişehir shopkeepers said, “We hope that people living abroad and expatriates will come.”
“There is mobility but a dry crowd”
Stating that their business is good for now, but they don’t have the old Christmas shopping, Akın Yüksel said:
“Our work is good, thank God, but there are no holidays that we call ancient holidays. People find it very expensive. We are looking for our old days with candles for now. There is no activity in the market. At the moment, our only wish is that the expatriates arrive within a week, 10 days. We are thinking of getting an expatriate movement.
Other than that, our work is good, but the intensity we expected isn’t there because the prices are unbelievably expensive. We were starting to move normally close to the closure of schools. There is a movement in the bazaar right now, but there is a crowd that we call a dry crowd. People complain a lot about the prices. We are also complaining. We can’t replace the price we sold.
How the minimum wage will be will have a big impact on the market. The store owners want double or triple the rent right now. Traders are in a bad mood right now, their psychology is broken. The minimum wage is low. 8,500 lira is very funny in this market, but when we can’t do business, our business goes bankrupt. There is activity in the bazaar, but the number of people passing by with bags is very small. Even people who sell simit at the counter are now complaining about simit sales. They say they sell fewer bagels. The prices are very expensive. While we can fill our stomachs for 40-50 lira at noon, now dry, rice and tzatziki are 90 lira. Unfortunately, we’re not doing it right.”
‘WE ARE WAITING FOR FOREIGN CITIZENS’
Stating that the pants and shirt cost at least a thousand lira, Ebru Yıldız said:
“The intensity started this weekend. It’s not so much during the week, but the weekend starts a little more activity. It’s going pretty good right now. It gets busier as the holidays approach.
Prices vary depending on the products. Since the products we sell are brand name products, they may come a little more, but they buy because they are of great quality. For unbranded products, the lowest price rises to 275 lira and the highest price to 650 lira. Shirts and pants are not worth less than a thousand lire. The citizens say that it is high. When people who live abroad come, there is a higher density. Price up. Your income is different. We hope that citizens from abroad will come.”
‘WE DON’T KNOW IF WE WIN WITH INFLATION’
Ferhat Kerenciler, who said they couldn’t understand if they had won because of inflation, said:
“There is a bit of demand compared to last year, but due to inflation, we cannot understand if we have won or not. Last year we were selling jeans for 100 TL, this year we are selling them for 200 TL. Our profit margin has been cut almost in half. But when it comes to shopping, there is demand.
The cost of a staff is 15 thousand liras. The rent for the store is 25 thousand lira. We can’t get out of the way. If our expectation is a good demand, we can save ourselves. Income does not cover expenses. Head to head right now. We are even inside.
We can wear a stone suit for 2 thousand lira. Except for the shoes, of course. It will be 3 thousand lire with shoes. 80% of them complain about the prices. The demand is high, but there are no profits. We look forward to the arrival of people living abroad, expatriates. All the merchants are waiting. Otherwise, the market will stagnate long after the holidays.” (ANKA)