Christmas: Night trading begins in Enugu

Barely two weeks to Christmas celebration, dealers in all kinds of Christmas items have taken over major markets and pedestrian walkways in Enugu, at night, to make brisk business.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)  correspondents who visited some of the markets and shopping malls in Enugu report that most of the traders were seen selling brocades, jewelry, shoes and sandals.

Other items include ready-made clothes, weave-on, balloons and the traders stay deep into the night.

Many of the traders were seen ringing bell to attract passersby, wooing them with discount prices at the major strategic locations in the area.

A trader in Ogbete Main Market,who gave her name as Mama Akano, said that she decided to display her wares on the pedestrian walkways to attract civil servants returning from work.

Akano said that she had a shop inside the market but that the festive atmosphere associated with the season motivated her to stay beyond the 5:00p.m and do extra business to earn more money.

She said that the market closes 5 p.m, adding that the night trading afforded her the opportunity to increase her daily sales, noting that traders at the market hardly made good returns.

“I open shop by 10:00a.m. every day and till 5:00p.m. I hardly make N2, 000 profit.So, I decided to be selling at night, and this has improved my daily profit,” she said.

Another trader, Mr Ifeanyi Ejiogu, said that he opted for night trading due to the penchant of most residents of Enugu for trading into the night.
Ejiogu said that though he had a paid job, “I decided to sell foot wears this season in order to meet my financial needs.”

NAN further reports that hairdressers at Ogbete Market have been swell time making fast business as most of them stay up to 8:00p.m., a development many of them described as unusual.