Ramadan shopping habits: More guests, more abundance


Turkish people love hosting guests for iftar (fast-breaking meal) and even sahur (the pre-dawn meal) during the month of Ramadan and this habit reflects itself in people's shopping habits.

According to a recent survey conducted with 10,000 people, one in every three people shop more than usual during Ramadan.

While 55 percent of the people who take part in the survey said their shopping habit remains the same during the holy month, 33 percent said they do more shopping and 15 percent said the amount of shopping they do declines this time of the year.

Upon being asked "why their amount of shopping increases in Ramadan," 42 percent of the participants said they host more guests at dinner than usual. Some 39 percent said they do more grocery shopping than usual and 38 percent said they buy special food that they do not buy for the rest of the year. On the other hand, 18 percent said they crave more food than they should as they are fasting and their shopping amount increases when they do shop during fasting hours.

When asked "which items they buy the most since Ramadan coincides with summer," 35 percent of the participants said beverages, while 27 percent said water, 25 percent said fruit, 8 percent said ice cream and 5 percent said electronic devices including air conditioners.

In the survey, most of the participants said they stop shopping or do less shopping for beach clothes and cosmetics such as nail polish.