Inflation seems to have taken its toll on the ‘Landa Bazaar’ or the thrift market of Lahore.
The favourite shopping destination of Lahore’s common folks seems to have turned ‘elitist’ given the skyrocketing prices of commodities, including Covid-19 face masks. The residents are evidently not happy and blame the Pakistani government for this.
“As other shops are out of our reach, we poor folks shop here. We came here thinking that we would be able to buy some things cheap. Instead, we found that things costing Rs 100 are being sold for Rs 400 to rs 500,” rued a local shopper.
“People come here thinking that they would be able to buy things cheap, but here too everything is so costly. Where should a common man go? The government is run by Imran Khan. People said a change would come. What kind of change is this,” asked another resident.
Meanwhile, shopkeepers attribute the scenario to the high costs of goods purchased from the suppliers.
“We feel so helpless when people complain about inflation. It is not our fault. We are only earning our daily wages from the sales. Still, we make efforts to charge only the just price from our customers, but we have to earn our livelihood too,” said a shopkeeper.