Another year has passed, but it seems that the economic situation of the people is expected to continue its downward trend. With less than a few days left until the new year, there is no excitement or hustle and bustle of Nowruz due to the alarming inflation and the spread of COVID-19. It seems that the unprecedented wave of inflation that has engulfed the entire country in recent years, especially last year, has stripped away the blessings of life for the people and left no room for celebration and setting up colorful Nowruz tables. According to evidence and what is coming out of the markets in Iran, the prices of essential goods, especially food and clothing, have increased by more than 100% during this year, and many people have lost the ability and purchasing power to buy essential goods and are getting closer to absolute poverty day by day.

In the final days of the year, the discussion about the minimum wage for workers in the new year is a hot topic that has kept workers, employers

A large number of buyers or a commotion of spectators.

In these final days of the year, as I walk through the streets of South Tehran, I am faced with a massive crowd of people and street vendors that have almost taken over the streets. Many of the roads are blocked and it seems like every year during the holidays, it’s the same story. Perhaps this year there are fewer people compared to previous years, but still, the crowd is significant compared to the rest of the year.

At first glance, one might assume that this large crowd has come to the streets to do some last-minute shopping for the new year. But upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that most of them are just spectators, wandering around the streets in search of cheaper goods from street vendors and shopping centers. They are simply enjoying the hustle and bustle of the city streets, hoping to find a good bargain.

What new topic do we have to talk about?

After walking a bit, the attractive and colorful display of a nut shop catches my attention. Although my purchase is limited to buying pumpkin seeds, which are relatively cheaper than other items. As I enter the shop, there are no customers in sight. I tell the owner, who is around forty years old, that I am a journalist and I want to have a conversation with him about the night market during Eid. Right from the start, with an Azerbaijani Turkish accent, he begins to complain and says, “What new things can we say? Just write that people are miserable. That’s it.”

It is clear that he is not satisfied with the market and the sales of his shop. A few customers enter and the shop assistant starts their work without paying any attention to me. I ask the shop owner about the changes in his business in the past year. He responds, emphasizing the decrease in people’s purchasing power, that his customers have decreased by half compared to last year. He

Gathering and playing with chickens and eggs!
I continue my march. The streets are very crowded. I go to one of my favorite clothing stores. Two women are sitting on a bench. One appears to be around sixty years old and the other looks about forty. I sit next to them and start a conversation. The older lady listens to me and starts complaining about the low quality and high prices of goods:
“I didn’t buy anything for the holiday table or any clothes. Today was my daughter’s birthday and I came to buy her a coat. Because everything is expensive, I didn’t buy anything else. Now a coat costs seven hundred tomans. There was also a four hundred toman coat, but the shopkeeper said the fabric was garbage. Well, if it’s garbage, why did you bring it? I even went to buy a towel, the shopkeeper said to take the five hundred toman one, the two hundred toman one is garbage.”
I think the word “garbage” is a suitable description for the