• Wooden and metal boxes waiting for their owners

Bookshops and stalls at the Cen­tral Business District were packed during the first and second weeks of January as academic activities resumed after the long holidays.

Parents, pupils rushed to procure teaching and learning materials as quickly as they could while some mid­dle men and women also tried to earn “commission” by referring customers to designated bookshops.

The escalating prices, however, did not deter clients who were bent on securing all items on the prospectus once and for all.

Parents who interacted with The Spectator said they were deferring purchase to a later day as the cash available was not enough for long list they had brought to the market.

Some students who came on their own said the ‘rush hour’ partly contributed to the high prices of the books on display. But for the retailers, the prevailing economic conditions meant they also had to add slight margins in order to break even and settle debt owed their suppliers.

While exercise books and text books were selling fast, retailers of mat­tresses and wooden boxes (Chopbox) were somewhat recording low sales as fresh boys and girls entering second­ary schools had not started placing their orders

 By Lizzy Okai