Boosting consumer demand, increased purchasing power, and stable prices during the September 2nd holiday.
During the September 2nd holiday, supermarkets proactively increased their stock and launched numerous promotional programs. While purchasing power increased, prices generally remained quite stable.
Fearing crowds and congestion during the holiday season, Ms. Thai Phuong Trang chose to return to her hometown instead of taking her family on a trip. Four days before returning home, Ms. Trang went to the supermarket to buy items such as candies, soft drinks, cooking oil, fish sauce, and OCOP (One Commune One Product) products to bring back as gifts.
Ms. Trang said: “This time, the supermarket has many promotional programs: purchases come with free gifts, product discounts… so consumers benefit greatly from shopping. Therefore, I bought quite a lot of essential items for personal use and as gifts for relatives and friends back home.”
To meet consumer demand, during the September 2nd holiday, retail systems in the province organized many attractive promotional activities, offering deep discounts on many items and maximizing benefits for consumers. These deep discounts applied not only to food and essential goods but also to books, school supplies, and electronic devices... to prepare for the new school year.
At a supermarket on Quang Trung Street (Vinh City), in addition to promotional programs such as deep discounts on many product categories with attractive gifts; promotions for membership card holders; buy combos and receive gifts... there is also a lucky draw program called "Big Prizes for the Holiday" which attracts a large number of shoppers.
Mr. Tran An Khang, the supermarket director, said: “Normally, during holidays, the number of customers increases by 20% compared to normal days. Firstly, city residents shop for goods to take back to their hometowns; secondly, people from other places flock to the city for recreation and shopping; and thirdly, holidays are close to the new school year, so the demand for school supplies increases. Therefore, the supermarket proactively imports more goods early, especially essential items. Currently, all products in the supermarket are maintained at preferential prices, and online sales and delivery services are available to meet consumer shopping needs.”
To promptly meet the consumer demand during the holidays, markets are proactively stocking up on goods to ensure price stability. According to the Management Board of Hung Dung Market (Vinh City), traders at the market have prepared to import 20-30% more goods than usual, and consumer demand is expected to increase during the holidays, especially for food and fresh produce.
In rural markets, during holidays, the areas selling fresh food, clothing, shoes, and household goods are busier than usual. Traders say that in addition to the majority of customers being locals, as on normal days, there are also customers who are children returning home for the holidays, thus increasing consumer demand.
It is noteworthy that despite the sharp increase in purchasing power, prices of goods remained relatively stable compared to normal days. Specifically: Pork was priced from 120,000 to 155,000 VND/kg; beef from 220,000 to 250,000 VND/kg; industrial chicken at 40,000 VND/kg; and free-range chicken at 120,000 VND/kg.
Green vegetables continue to maintain stable prices: Cabbage 15,000 VND/kg; Chinese cabbage 27,000 VND/kg; zucchini 20,000 VND/kg; mustard greens 30,000 VND/kg; scallions and cilantro priced at 80,000 - 90,000 VND/kg; water spinach 8,000 VND/bundle; tomatoes, carrots, and cucumbers ranging from 18,000 - 23,000 VND/kg; sweet potatoes priced at around 20,000-26,000 VND/kg…
Specifically, seafood items that are in high demand during this period have seen a slight price increase compared to normal days, including red snapper at 65,000 VND/kg (up 5,000 VND/kg), freshwater shrimp at 200,000 VND/kg (up 25,000 VND), squid at 280,000-350,000 VND/kg (up 30,000-50,000 VND/kg); and green crab at 300,000-380,000 VND/kg (up 40,000 VND/kg).
Ms. Phuong Thi Tuyet, a small business owner at Hung Dung Market (Vinh City), said: “The demand for food for celebrations and meals during the holidays has increased, especially for seafood. Normally, I only sell 5kg of crab, 5kg of shrimp, and 5kg of squid each day. However, in the past few days, the amount sold has increased two to three times. Seafood prices have also increased sharply, by about 20% compared to normal days.”
In preparation for the September 2nd holiday, the Department of Industry and Trade has directed the Management Boards of markets, supermarkets, and retail systems to strengthen propaganda and mobilization efforts to encourage traders to proactively prepare goods, contributing to ensuring the circulation of goods and meeting the essential needs of the people, especially preparing a good supply of essential consumer goods and clean food that meets food safety and hygiene standards to meet the increased demand during the holiday...
At the same time, market management boards in the province must regularly monitor and keep track of prices and the flow of goods in the markets; strengthen reminders to traders to properly display prices and sell at the listed prices, avoiding speculation, hoarding, or sudden price increases. They should coordinate with relevant units to strengthen inspections of price listings and food safety, meeting the increased demand during the holiday period.
