No shortage of goods, high prices

(Baonghean.vn) - During the three days of Lunar New Year, market prices were stable, no shortage of goods, no price fever...

Nationwide, most shopping malls, supermarkets, and traditional markets were not open on the first day of Tet, only a few stalls and stores were open for good luck. The number of customers was only concentrated on a few main items such as candy, wine, beer, soft drinks, and incense offerings for temple visits. However, the number of customers was very small.

This year in particular, since the night of the 29th of Tet, many people have appeared selling salt (50-100g) packaged in small bags for 10,000-20,000 VND, which is very popular. The prices of these items are generally stable compared to the end of the year and the supply is enough to meet the needs of consumers. In addition, because people mainly go to wish a happy new year, go out and worship at the beginning of the year at temples and pagodas, the price of parking services in these areas is higher than usual.

Rich products at Big C Vinh supermarket. Photo by Thu Huyen

A quick report from the Ministry of Finance said that, through closely monitoring the developments in some typical localities across the country, basically, supermarkets and markets are closed, only a few small traders selling a few items or a few agents selling Tet gift bags, offerings; especially salt. Parking service prices in the area increased in some entertainment areas, temples, pagodas...; In Hanoi, passenger transport fares at the city's main bus stations such as My Dinh bus station, Giap Bat bus station, although there are still passenger buses operating, the number of buses is sparse, due to the small number of passengers, mainly serving people visiting relatives, wishing Tet, so bus companies only run a few routes per day. Most of the routes in operation are short routes such as: Hanoi - Thai Nguyen, Hanoi - Hung Yen, Hanoi - Hai Phong, Hanoi - Thanh Hoa... Ticket prices for these routes are stable as usual.

In contrast to passenger transport services by car, the need for car rentalcarThe number of people driving themselves has increased dramatically during this year's Tet holiday due to the cold weather. Due to supply not meeting demand, the self-driving car rental service during Tet is in a state of "sold out", causing the price of Tet car rental to increase by 20-40% compared to normal car rental prices. This price increase depends a lot on the car model, time and quality of the car rented. For a 5-seat economy car, the rental price is about 500,000 - 700,000 VND/day on normal days. During Tet, the price is from 850,000 VND to over 1 million VND/day. 7-seat cars cost from about 1 million - 1.7 million VND/day. As for luxury cars such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, or Audi, the price ranges from 1.5 million - 3 million VND/day.

Vegetables and fruits are items that increase in price during Tet.

In the Central region, on the first day of the year, business activities in Da Nang city have not yet taken place, people have gathered to visit, wish a happy new year, go to pagodas and have fun... Markets and supermarkets are still closed, not operating but some pharmacies have opened, selling prices are according to the listed prices, no change compared to before Tet. In Hai Phong, market prices on February 8, 2016 (the first day of Tet) did not change. Shops, supermarkets, markets were closed. The demand for buying and selling goods decreased. Although taxi fares did not increase, the shortage of taxis during Tet holidays, especially from the first to the third day of Tet, was common due to the demand for travel during Tet.

In Can Tho City, the market price of Can Tho City is stable compared to the previous day. Some other localities such as Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Nam Dinh, Thai Nguyen, Lang Son, Yen Bai, ... also have almost no transactions in the market. Parking prices at entertainment venues, temples and pagodas are higher than usual.

February 9, 2016 is the second day of Tet, some stalls at the traditional market or some shops have continued to open for good luck. However, because people's shopping demand on the morning of the second day of Tet is not much because they have already shopped enough in the days before Tet, the prices of goods have not fluctuated much compared to the first day of Tet. Food prices are forecast to remain stable due to abundant reserves to meet people's needs during Tet. In particular, car parking services, food services, and incense offerings increase according to the annual rule due to people's need to go to the temple at the beginning of the year.

Thus, through monitoring the actual market situation in the whole country during the Lunar New Year, most of the shopping centers, supermarkets, and traditional markets are full of goods to meet the shopping needs of the people, from main items such as candy, wine, beer, soft drinks, offerings for incense to serve the temple to necessities for daily life. The good news is that unlike every year, in 2016, goods on the market are not only stable, not in short supply, increasing in price, but also not having a surplus situation, causing waste of capital and investment efforts of businesses and small traders.

Another plus point of this year's Tet market is the rise of domestic goods. With goods of clear origin and origin, many products are made according to food safety standards - the top priority of customers - is the reason why domestically produced confectionery and Tet food products this year are more attractive to customers than in previous years because of their good quality and lower prices compared to imported goods.

With careful preparation of Tet goods, close supervision of the market, determination to not let shortages of goods or sudden price increases occur, ensuring people have a warm, safe and economical Tet season, it can be said that this year's Lunar New Year is a typical example of the success of managing prices of goods and services according to market principles, with state management. The remaining problem of the market in the coming days is only the traffic problem during the peak period after Tet. If the functional forces and management agencies do a good job of regulating traffic, managing prices, providing adequate means of transport... then it can be said that this Lunar New Year 2016, people across the country will be able to welcome a meaningful and happy Tet, welcoming a truly peaceful new year./.

Red River