Bazar of Bangladesh

A Bazar of Bangladesh

So you take your first spoonful of biriyani and the taste hits you harder than a nuclear bomb? Ever wondered what made it so delicious? The best kind of rice, the best kind of spice and the best of meat combined together makes the best biriyani. Guess where you can find all of these?

At a bazar of course. 

A bazar is the local name of the market place where you can find all the groceries you need. From the freshest of fruits to the freshest of vegetables, what not. Right now, we will try to understand the whole concept of bazar as a whole.

The market complex is actually in an open space. There are small stalls all over this complex arranged in neat rows and open in all sides. The owner sits in the middle and displays his goods around him. You can actually bargain here literally. There are a lot instances where you can get a 500 taka product for only 120 taka. 

It’s that insane. 

If you don’t bargain, you lose.

Shopping in a Deshi Bazar is just like the Hunger Games! You have to plan your shopping right at the spot. It’s Black Friday here every day. If you buy commodities in large quantities, you are going to get a discount. And there are no week-ends. Your necessary goods are always available for you. You just have to know how to get them. Now we are going to learn how you can have an effective shopping in a bazar.

Steps to do an effective shopping

•   1)      Make a rough plan at home. Make a list. Chances are your plan may change a bit here and there once you get to the bazar. But hey, it’s always helpful to have some pre-planning. This way you will not only save your time but also avoid binge-buying.
•    2)      Once your list is complete, head to your nearest bazar. Search for the stall you are looking for. For example, if you want to buy some potatoes, search it in the vegetables section. You certainly cannot find veggies in the fish section.
•    3)      This is the most important step. Compare. Once you get to the veggies section, you will find rows of stalls selling your desired goods. Don’t buy right away. Check the quality of the thing you want to buy and compare it with another stall. Who knows, maybe you can find things cheaper in a different stall.
•    4)      Check the freshness of your commodity.
•    5)      Pay for your goods and you are done!

But here’s a few pointers you should follow.

      1)      Always try to buy in large quantities. That way you can buy them in cheaper rates.

    2)      Don’t forget to check the freshness because the grocers have a tendency to pass a few stale products here and there if you are not careful.

    3)   Bargain. Try to bargain for a lower price because chances are the grocer is demanding a few pennies more.

Individual benefits of Bazar

By now, I bet you’ve already learned how to do an effective shopping. A little reminder: always remember that if you don’t bargain at a bazar, you lose. But, you are still wondering why you should choose a traditional bazar instead of some classy mart? Well, let me show you.

1)      Here’s a chart which compares the prices of a regular bazar and a departmental store. You can clearly see how much they differ in price. Not only that, you have to add a whopping 5% VAT for each product you buy. So for example, if you do a 1000 taka shopping, you have to pay an extra 50 taka. That may seem quite less. But if you compare it with the price of a regular bazar, you can not only buy the same amount of commodities at a lesser price but also there is no VAT. So in total you are saving a ton of cash at the end of the day.

2)      Another reason why we prefer a bazar over a store is because they always provide the freshest of groceries. They bring their fresh goods every morning and due to their popularity, not much of it are left by night-time. So rest assured if you don’t see a commercial fridge in a bazar. Your groceries are fresh. Nowhere will you get alive fishes in big pots of water waiting to be bought.

3)      The final and most important reason why we prefer a bazar over a departmental store is because a very good number of people are dependent on it. Visibly, there are a ton of grocers who earns their livelihood through selling goods at a bazar. Indirectly, there are fishermen and farmers etc dependent on it. So supporting a bazar ensures a modest life for everyone.

Conclusion:

The reason a bazar is so popular in our country is because it’s cheap and fresh. Majority of the people of Bangladesh are not well off enough to shop at a departmental store on a regular basis. A bazar is also the best place to represent Bangladesh as whole. You can find all sorts of people and activities in a marketplace which will give you a good glimpse of the day to day life of a Bangladeshi. A bazar is not just a place where you buy and sell. It’s a place which holds the stories of a thousand lives.