Fairly used clothes, shoes hot cake in Dutse Monday market

Many items are displayed for sale at the Dutsen Alhaji Monday market but the demand for fairly used clothes and shoes is far greater than that of other goods, Aso Chronicle has found out. “Some call them ‘Belgium’, others call them ‘okirika’ while others refer to them as ‘ben-down-select’.  “But whatever name is given to […]

Many items are displayed for sale at the Dutsen Alhaji Monday market but the demand for fairly used clothes and shoes is far greater than that of other goods, Aso Chronicle has found out.
“Some call them ‘Belgium’, others call them ‘okirika’ while others refer to them as ‘ben-down-select’.
 “But whatever name is given to them, the fact remains that they make us look good,” said Blessing John, who spoke with our reporter while searching for her choice of wear from one of the sellers.
Blessing, who came from Bwari to the market in search of second hand clothing, said whenever she had money, she came to the market to look for something she could use.
“These clothes, though they are fairly used, they are of better quality than the new ones and when you put them on, nobody would know that they are second hand materials,” she said
She said apart from quality, they are also cheaper and last longer compared to the brand new ones. “With N1,000 or N1,500, you can get a first grade wear,” she added.
Though the market runs  daily, it was gathered that Monday is a special day because it is the day that traders and farmers from all over the city and its environs brought goods for sale.
Every Monday, by as early as 7.00a.m. the traders had already displayed their items for sale along Police Road, beside the market waiting for prospective customers and by 8.00a.m. the area is filled with buyers who are mostly young people selecting and bargaining for fairly used shoes and clothes.
Blessing told this reporter that people came very early so that they could get first grade materials to buy. She added that by 10.00a.m. first grade wares were already sold.
Muhammed Abu who was seen pricing a pair of Jeans trousers, said he was always at the market to buy second hand clothes because they were cheap.
“If you come to this market with N3,000 you will be able to buy three or four different clothes but if it is new ones that money may only fetch you one and by the time you wash it three to four times, it would start fading. But second hand clothes are not like that.  That is why I am patronising them,” he said
He said young people visited the market from all over the city because of the fairly used clothes and shoes.
Another customer who only gave her name as Grace said that she came from Madalla to buy fairly used shoes at the market.
She said the shoes lasted longer than new ones hence whenever she had money, she never hesitated to visit the market to buy a pair.
“This pair of shoes I am holding  can last for five years, and how much is the price? N1,500! The new ones of this pair cost not less than N5, 000 in the market and they won’t last long like the second hand ones. That is why this place is busy every Monday,’’ she said.
While the buyers smiled home after buying either clothes or shoes of their choice at cheap prices, the traders also smiled to the bank.
One of the traders, Chigozie, who sells second hand shoes at the market told our reporter that the patronage was good. “Some of us only come here on Mondays to sell our goods and we always smile home at the end of the day. Today, if the market is good I will realise between N10,000 and N15,000. As you can see the patronage is quite good,’’ he said.
According to him, the patronage at the market was high because people came from all over the city. He added that  traders in some remote communities also came to buy from them for sales in their respective communities.
Another trader, Malam Habu Suleiman, who sells second hand sport wears, however, wants the market to hold daily instead of weekly.
“Sales here are encouraging because we always smile home at the end of the day. I make N10,000 and above each time I bring goods to the market for sale. I brought these clothes from Kano yesterday,’’ he added.
He said, despite the harsh economic situation in the country people still patronised them, attributing this to the affordable prices of  the goods.