COVID BLUES IN SHILLONG
A REPORTER
SHILLONG: The COVID-19 pandemic has hit hard the hawkers selling second-hand clothes in Iewduh — the oldest market here.
The market which usually is full of hustle and bustle witnessed a decline in the rush of people especially young college students.
In this connection, The Sentinel spoke with a few vendors to find out the reason(s) for the drop in sales in the past few months. A woman vendor said, "The market has gone down because of this pandemic. Besides, most of the schools and colleges are still closed."
She further said that before the COVID outbreak, their business was booming; but now, it's even hard to earn a decent income daily.
"I'm somehow managing despite the drop in sales as I'm an elderly person now. All my children are grown-ups. But the ones who have kids at home and are solely dependent on this buisness are finding the present times rather tough," she pointed out.
Another vendor said, "Most of the students staying in other States are yet to return because schools and colleges have still not opened."
She, however, said that even though some local people are buying their second-hand clothes yet the sale is still less as people are also scared of purchasing second-hand clothes.
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