Consumer spending surges, product prices remain stable before Tet
Consumer spending surges, product prices remain stable before Tet
On the days closer to the Tet holiday, sales at traditional wet markets and supermarkets in HCMC have soared by 30%-50% and three to four times, respectively, compared with normal days. Nevertheless, the prices of most products are still stable, according to Sai Gon Giai Phong newspaper.
Customers tend to buy more fresh food, meat, vegetables, fruits, jams, flowers as well as banana leaves, phrynium leaves and bamboo strings to wrap glutinous rice cakes.
In addition, the daily volumes of goods flowing to Thu Duc, Binh Dien and Hoc Mon wholesale markets in HCMC have surged by 60% versus normal days to nearly 15,000 tons. Due to the sufficient supplies, the prices of products remain stable, except for flowers and fruits.
Green-skin grapefruit, for example, is sold at VND90,000-100,000 and custard-apple VND80,000-90,000 per kilogram. Meanwhile, a branch of lily costs VND50,000-70,000 and a bunch of ten branches of tuberose VND100,000-120,000.
Further, the prices of fresh food, such as chicken, fish and pork, have increased slightly. A kilogram of chicken is now sold at VND150,000-170,000, up VND30,000-40,000, while the price of a kilogram of pork has picked up by VND10,000-20,000.
On the other hand, the prices of some kinds of vegetables, such as cabbage, carrot, potato and bitter melon, have gone down by VND1,000-12,000 per kilogram.
The HCMC Department of Industry and Trade has asked the management boards of wholesale markets and goods distributors to closely cooperate with vendors and farmers to keep a close watch on the demand and supply, prices, quality and origins of products to promptly deal with possible price fluctuations.
