Many supermarkets and markets are still busy.

(Baonghean) - Nghe An currently has 42 supermarkets, including 20 specialized supermarkets and 22 general supermarkets. However, for many reasons, despite having many supermarkets, the markets are still attractive to people for shopping and consumption.

Many supermarkets but not strong

Supermarkets in Nghe An are quite numerous and have a wide range of goods. We can mention supermarkets such as BigC, Metro, Maximark... and supermarkets of electronics, books, glassware... The strength of supermarkets is providing convenient accompanying services, gradually meeting the reliability of customers, especially now that consumers are more concerned about food safety and quality and tend to like to buy goods at cheap prices but must ensure quality. Therefore, supermarkets with the strength of goods always ensuring quality, having clear origin and often having promotional programs have become closer to consumers.

Customers choose food at BigC supermarket. Photo: Chau Lan

Restaurants, collective kitchens of schools, companies, factories in industrial parks... have signed contracts to source goods from Metro Vinh supermarket. Coming to the supermarket, consumers can freely choose goods. The most abundant is Big C supermarket, mainly Vietnamese goods, with a full range of goods from technological products to processed goods, fresh and raw foods... Big C also continuously updates many promotional programs of Vietnamese brands to attract consumers. However, to find a satisfactory gift item at Big C Vinh supermarket is really "golden eyes".

Korean onions at BigC supermarket.

As for Intimex supermarket, the goods are increasingly scarce, the shelves are empty, many services such as processed food, food, vegetables, fruits are no longer available. Many stalls have to be liquidated, Intimex supermarket can be said to be "slowly dying". Another supermarket is Maximark on Nguyen Thai Hoc street, although small in the past, the goods are quite good quality, there are imported goods, there are selected domestic goods, now this supermarket is just like a store, nothing more, nothing less, if there is an additional item of green vegetables produced in Nghia Dan, it is attracting customers. Finding a delicious candy package or a regional specialty of Vietnam here is completely impossible. The items are increasingly sparse, less competitive.

As a city with low consumer spending, electronics and refrigeration supermarkets have sprung up like mushrooms but "bloom early and fade quickly", the number of consumers has somewhat saturated, so after the promotion and opening period, most supermarkets fall into a state of sluggishness. A famous supermarket on Le Loi Street, HH electronics supermarket, has also moved somewhere. Ms. Tran Thi Thuong, a customer who bought an Iphone 5 at this supermarket, said: "When my phone broke, I went to the supermarket to ask for repair, but the technical department said it would take a week at the earliest to receive it. I think this kind of customer care is unacceptable."

Some supermarkets also cause scandals when they sell expired, low-quality goods, rent out outside booths to display, causing confusion with customers, and these stores have signs of soliciting customers, causing customers to lose sympathy, such as functional foods, perfumes, blenders, health care machines... Some other supermarkets open with many tricks of "installment payment", slow payment... however, when buying, you will realize that it is troublesome and complicated, no different from loan sharking.

The market is holding on to consumers

There are also 397 traditional markets operating in the area, covering all wards, communes, villages and hamlets.

After many years of monitoring, the market system still holds the largest market share. This is due to many reasons: People's income is not high, so going to the market to buy daily necessities is enough. For a civil servant earning 4-5 million VND/month, the money is only enough to spend on daily necessities. For traders who live close to each other, they have the habit of buying goods for each other, I buy you rice, you buy me meat...

Besides, many working people do not have the habit of going to the supermarket to buy daily food items. Households still have the habit of going to the market in the morning to buy food, and go to the market every day.

Buy fresh fish at traditional markets in Vinh city.

Ms. Hong, in Nghi Loc district, said: “I often go to the market to buy daily food for my family. Going to the market does not require going too far from home, buying necessary things. Sometimes when I go to the supermarket, I often buy promotional items but do not use them when I get home. Going to the market also saves more time than going to the supermarket.”

It can be seen that the market still has some strengths to retain customers, such as many products cheaper than supermarkets, diverse and abundant products, clean and rustic goods, meeting more diverse needs of each customer group from low to high income. Shopping is quick, no need to wait in line like in supermarkets... Especially for food, it is always diverse, abundant and always fresh, this is the point that supermarkets are not as good as markets.

For some daily essential goods such as food, groceries, etc., most people in the province still have the habit of buying at traditional markets. Particularly in urban areas, for goods such as electricity, electronics, refrigeration, electrical appliances, household appliances, etc., consumers mostly still choose reputable supermarkets located in the area, while in the districts, most of them have mini supermarkets or stores that are large enough and have enough supply right in the center of the districts and towns. This is also another reason why supermarkets in Vinh city have difficulty attracting customers from the countryside.

Currently, with the increasing income and living standards of people in the province, the demand for consumption and shopping for goods will also increase. This is a great opportunity for all types of retail in the future, so markets need to be upgraded, repaired, renovated, ensure hygiene, fire prevention and fighting, and overcome weaknesses in infrastructure. Traders in the market must raise awareness of traders in business, commit to selling goods with guaranteed origin, food hygiene and safety, and sell in a cultural manner to improve the competitiveness of the market, in order to retain customers to the market.

If supermarkets do not renew themselves, do not compete persistently, and do not have new and attractive products, they are afraid that they will increasingly "lose points" in the eyes of consumers.

Pearl - Cao Tam