Worried about rising prices, people rush to shop for Tet early

It's not yet the 15th of December but the Tet shopping atmosphere in markets and shopping centers is heating up day by day.

Confectionery products are sold in abundance at supermarkets in Vinh city. Photo: TP

In Vinh city, at some markets such as Vinh market, Quan Lau market, Hung Dung market these days are bustling with buyers and sellers, focusing on dried goods such as onions, garlic, wood ear mushrooms, various types of vermicelli and candies.

According to the owner of a large confectionery store in Hung Dung market, the prices of confectionery, cooking oil, soft drinks, beer, etc. have increased this year, but not significantly. Only beer, wine, and milk have increased compared to normal days by 5,000 - 50,000 VND/box. The prices of other items remain stable as usual.

This year, imported candies are popular with customers. In particular, gift baskets of candies and cakes are chosen by many agencies and units as gifts. To avoid high prices or shortages, many agents have collected goods a month ago. According to the agents, since the beginning of December, the amount of goods sold has doubled compared to the previous days.

This year, the price of candy and cakes has not fluctuated much, many people have taken advantage of buying them for Tet. Photo: TP

Ms. Tran To Quyen, a bank employee in the city, said: “It’s a bit early to shop for Tet, but because of the nature of my job and the busy end of the year, I’m shopping now. Right now, I’m buying votive offerings, household items, and dried foods. Next week, I’m buying frozen foods, and closer to Tet, I’m buying fresh foods. Dividing shopping into several batches will make me feel less overwhelmed, less likely to forget this or that, and it will suit my family’s financial situation. Moreover, if I shop early, the goods will be more abundant, easier to choose, and the prices will be more affordable. In a few days, when purchasing power is high, prices will definitely fluctuate.”

Meat prices have increased a little compared to the beginning of the month, but not significantly.

The demand for pickled meat, dried beef, dried pork... has increased, so the prices of meat have increased slightly. Photo: TP

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ha, a trader at Vinh market, said: "It's only the first half of December, but there are already many people buying meat. Especially on the last two days of the week, when civil servants have a day off, they buy a lot of beef jerky and sausage to make themselves, sometimes selling several hundred kilograms of meat a day."

In Quynh Luu, the atmosphere of Tet shopping has begun to bustle, especially for flowers and ornamental plants. Inside the Giat market, there are 5 fresh flower stalls and dozens of stalls selling plastic flowers and paintings, all packed with buyers.

Ms. Ho Thi Hoa, owner of a fresh flower shop at Giat market, said that although there are still more than 2 weeks until Tet, people have already bought a lot of flowers and ornamental plants. Normally, she only sells 15-20 flower pots, but at this time, she sells 40-50 pots per day; she is currently focusing on getting more goods to sell in the coming days.

Fresh flower and plastic flower stalls at Giat market (Quynh Luu) have begun to bustle. Photo: VH

Not only choosing to buy fresh flowers and ornamental plants for Tet, this year, Tet products such as candy, wine, beer, soft drinks, jams... are quite abundant, diverse in quantity and beautiful in design, so people can shop freely.

Ms. Pham Thi My in Cau Giat town said that this year the farm work finished early so there was more time to prepare for Tet. In order to avoid the situation of having to jostle each other to shop for Tet in the days leading up to Tet, people took the opportunity to shop earlier than usual.