Supermarkets, wholesale markets curb price hikes

The prices of many items, such as fruits, vegetables, cooking oil, and fresh milk, at retail points of sale and markets on March 21 increased by 15-40 percent compared to before the 2022 Lunar New Year. Delivery service also added a surcharge of VND5,000-VND15,000 per order. Meanwhile, at supermarkets and wholesale markets, prices of commodities remained stable.
Supermarkets, wholesale markets curb price hikes ảnh 1 Customers go shopping at BigC Supermarket in HCMC. (Photo: SGGP)
Nhung Nguyen, the owner of a grocery in Alley 59 Nguyen Thi Can Street in Tan Thoi Hiep Ward in District 12, said that many items, such as cooking oil, confectionery, instant noodles, eggs, and milk, all increased prices from VND5,000-VND30,000 per item compared to before Tet. Specifically, sweetened fresh milk surged by VND10,000-VND30,000 per carton of 48 milk boxes, depending on type; instant noodles climbed by VND1,000-VND3,000 per cup, depending on the type.

For fruit products, Le Van Tot, a small trader on Tan Thoi Hiep 21 Street in District 12, said that a few weeks ago, the prices of some citrus fruits, such as king mandarin, tangerine, and Australian orange grown in Vietnam, escalated strongly. Specifically, Australian tangerines fetched VND75,000 per kg whereas the price was only about VND40,000 per kg a month ago; Australian oranges were sold from VND60,000 to VND80,000 per kg, an increase of about VND20,000 per kg.

According to Tot, the continuously increased gasoline prices have had a direct impact on transportation costs, causing the selling prices to soar in tandem. “Consumers are tightening their spending. My family also has to make a detailed monthly spending plan because the sum of money incurred to compensate for price slippage is also up to VND1-1.5 million per month,” Tot shared.

Some supermarkets have been launching many promotions to support consumers. Retail chains GO!, BigC, and Tops Market of Central Retail Vietnam Group run the super saving sale program, offering a discount from 5 percent to 50 percent for 390 products, including fresh food, fast-moving consumer goods, cosmetics, home appliances, and fashion products.

For workers in difficulty, GO! and BigC supermarkets offer a discount of 10 percent on all pork products and 30 percent on all leafy vegetable products. Meanwhile, at Co.opmart and Co.opXtra retail systems, brands, such as Cholimex, Maggi, Simply, Lien Thanh, offer discounts of 15 percent-50 percent for cooking oil, chili sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and rice. Fresh food products of all kinds are simultaneously discounted by 15-20 percent.

Representatives of agricultural product wholesale markets in HCMC, such as Hoc Mon, Binh Dien, and Thu Duc, all confirmed that small traders were selling goods at preferential prices to buyers.

According to the HCMC Department of Industry and Trade, due to the impact of increased production costs, especially gasoline prices, the prices of many items in the retail distribution system, supermarkets, and markets may advance further in the coming time. However, currently, HCMC maintains a market stabilization program with several essential products, accounting for 30-50 percent market share. In addition, businesses have also committed to keeping commodity prices stable for a month before and after the 2022 Lunar New Year, so consumers can feel assured of the prices of essential goods in March this year.

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