“WOMAN like sales, so they can buy cheap clothes and other things,“ says Magda el-Far, an engineer, adding that most shops sell off their old stock from previous seasons in the sales. Until recently, traders and customers alike did very well out of the sales. Egyptian families got lots of bargains and the shop owners got rid of all the stuff that had been hanging round. But these days people aren't buying; all most of them are doing is window-shopping. Samia Hussein says that some stores announce discounts of 75 per cent on the clothes on display, but it's not true. They might offer such discounts on the really old, mouthy clothes, but not the new brands. Nina el-Far, a member of the Rotary Club, buys her clothes in the early winter and early summer; she never bothers with the sales. Dedi Baybers, a designer, does the same. She says the goods sold in the sales are completely different, which means the shops lose their credibility. One clothes store owner told Akhbar Al-Youm weekly newspaper that the recession has hit him hard, as people only buy about 10 per cent of the clothes he reduces in the sales. “This is true for clothes shop in both high-class and popular districts,” he commented. Yelli Osman, who owns a readyto- wear clothes shop, also reports that sales have dropped dramatically. The head of the Readymade Clothes Section at the Chamber of Commerce, Mohamed el-Da'our, explains that the demand has fallen in the sales season, due to the global financial crisis. “People now buy things that are more vital than clothes,” he stresses. Mohamed Abu Shadi, the head of the Internal Trade Section, notes that around 5,000 shops are holding a winter sale at the moment, adding that the owners must clearly display both the old and the new price after discount of each garment for sale. “The nationwide sales will continue for a month,” stresses Abu Shadi, adding that there is a hot line - 19805 - which the public can ring round the clock if they have any complaints about the sales. He explains that the sales will run until the end of March, having coincided with the mid-year academic holiday.
