Traditional market is sluggish

(Baonghean.vn) - During the year-end clearance sale, many stores in Vinh City compete to reduce prices, besides the trend of online shopping makes traders in the markets worried because of unsold goods..

A reality that is easy to see when entering traditional markets today is that customers are few and goods are slow to sell. Although it is winter, in many markets, small traders sit and wait for customers. As soon as they see a customer, this counter or that counter will warmly welcome them, even though the customer may not necessarily have a need to buy, but is just passing by.

The biggest Black Friday sale and end-of-season clearance sales have made markets even more sluggish as large numbers of customers flock to hunt for discounted goods from major brands.

Many shoe and handbag shops are unsold at Vinh Railway Station Market. Photo: Thanh Tam

Ms. Nguyen Thi Dung - a clothing business owner on the 2nd floor of Vinh Ga Market for many years, said: "Business at the market has low sales volume, mainly ordinary customers, goods are imported as they are sold, each product only makes a profit of 20-30 thousand VND, we also know that there is a big discount period, so we do not hope for these days but also look forward to ordinary income customers. That said, the discounted goods at the stalls out there are several times more expensive than the products we sell."

Also doing business on the 2nd floor of Vinh Railway Station Market, Mr. Tran Van Sy - owner of a men's clothing store said: In recent days, some fashion stores have held a discount week in response to Black Friday, so the number of young customers coming to the market to buy things has decreased significantly. Moreover, customers are now buying and selling online, so we don't know how to cope.

Ms. Nga - the owner of a shoe store in Quang Trung market said: "I sat there all morning but only sold a few pairs of shoes. It's very difficult to do business at the market now, the goods are damp, very few people go to the market to buy things because they often sit at home and buy online or visit shops on the streets for convenience. We are very worried because selling at the market loses money on booths, taxes... it's hard to compete with online goods."

However, Mr. Hien - 50 years old in Dong Vinh ward, who came to buy clothes, said: “I often go to Ga market to buy clothes because I find the prices here reasonable. A pair of khaki pants is only 200-300 thousand VND; while in the clothing shops on the street, the price is usually 700-800 thousand VND, even if there is a discount, it is still much more expensive than in the market, and I don't know if the quality is better or not. It is better to go to a familiar place in the market to buy for convenience.”

Weekend but the markets are sparsely populated. Photo: Thanh Tam

In addition, it is also necessary to say that customers turn their backs on the market because of the way the traders sell. Unclear price posting, indiscriminate overcharging, soliciting, and business culture not being widely respected in some markets make many people afraid to go to the market to buy goods.

In addition, high kiosk prices and constantly increasing taxes and fees are a challenge for traditional markets as product prices must include these costs. Meanwhile, goods sold online do not have to pay taxes and are taken from the source.

From the purchasing trends of customers, traders in traditional markets also need to innovate their sales methods and have solutions to attract customers according to the motto "customer is king".

Thanh Tam