Listing prices and selling at listed prices: Difficult to implement

(Baonghean) -According to current regulations, price posting is a mandatory requirement for all types of goods and services on the market. Posting and selling at the listed price is not only a civilized commercial feature but also a measure to limit traders from taking advantage of price fluctuations in the market to haggle and increase prices. Currently, in Vinh city, only a few supermarkets and large agents have posted prices of goods, while in traditional markets, buying and selling is still done in the "willing buyer, willing seller" manner.

Widespread violations

A cosmetics stall at Quang Trung market (Vinh city) has a price list but leaves the price section blank. Customers who want to know the price have no choice but to... ask. Similarly, the children's toy stall next door also does not have a price list. Ms. Nguyen Thu Ha - a teacher at Nghi Loc III High School said: "I often go to this market but it is difficult to find a stall that lists prices, let alone sells at the listed price. The situation of not posting prices, overcharging, and "improvised" sales by business owners makes civil servants very reluctant to go to the market in the morning, for fear of buying the wrong thing, if they accidentally bargain for a price that is not satisfactory to the shop owner, or encounter a difficult seller, they will be nagged, or even chased away"...

As reflected by Ms. Thu Ha, when surveying around the market, we asked to buy a women's sweater that the owner offered for 350,000 VND, after bargaining, the owner agreed to sell for 260,000 VND. When asked, the store owner explained: "Customers always like to bargain. If we list a higher price, it is normal." Particularly in the fresh food and spice section, no business household posts prices. Because according to some shop owners, prices change constantly every day, even every hour, they trade hundreds of items, they do not have free time to sit and write down prices. Besides, the mechanism for posting prices also has some shortcomings, making it difficult for businesses to implement.

Many stalls at Vinh market have not posted prices yet. and sell at the listed price.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Tho - Deputy Head of Nghe An Market Management Department said: According to regulations, all products traded on the market must have their prices listed and sold at the listed price. However, the implementation of this regulation has not been well implemented by traders in the markets. To avoid the situation of deliberately raising prices, causing market disruption, the Market Management Department has increased inspection of the listing and selling at listed prices on the market. Through each inspection, the Market Management Department has discovered and punished hundreds of cases of price violations. Since the beginning of the year, the Department has handled 2,494 violations in business, mainly violations of price laws, not posting prices and selling at the listed price.

According to Mr. To Thanh Nhan - Head of Vinh Market Management Board: Currently, the entire Vinh market has 3,563 large and small businesses, of which 1,373 are in the main hall. The biggest difficulty in building a civilized market is changing the awareness of sellers in posting prices and selling at listed prices. Although the Market Management Board regularly propagates and mobilizes, most traders are still lazy to change and adjust the listed prices on the board according to the actual situation. On the other hand, many buyers have the mentality of buying at the market and like to bargain, so sellers have to raise prices to sell their goods. Up to now, the Market Management force has coordinated with the Market Management Board many times to inspect and punish acts related to posting prices, but the general situation is that during the inspection, traders strictly comply, when the functional forces "withdraw", the violations return to normal.

Need to change perception

Posting prices at the market is a way to stabilize prices in the market and create a civilized business method. This method is being implemented at Dinh market - Nghia Xuan commune (Quy Hop district).

Dinh Market currently has more than 280 business kiosks, including 50 food stalls, 60 clothing stalls, 15 shoe stalls and household appliances... In order to ensure food safety and product quality in the last months of the year and towards the goal of building a civilized commercial market, since October 2013, Market Management Team No. 9 (Nghe An Market Management Department) located in Quy Hop has deployed simultaneous inspections of all product lines and shipments within the market premises. At the same time, it has guided business households on methods and ways of posting prices in accordance with regulations and ensuring that they do not affect the products they sell.

According to regulations, if each business household does not strictly implement the price posting, the Market Management force will make a record and impose an administrative penalty. This inspection is not only implemented for high-value products but also for all groups of goods, including food and foodstuffs. "I list prices not to deal with the authorities and fear being fined, but the purpose is to attract customers. Because for a long time, the psychology of customers going to the market is "challenge all - pay half", when posting prices publicly and clearly on each product, it will help customers compare prices with other shipments and find shipments with correct prices", said a household goods trader at Dinh market.

Mr. Tran Duc Tuan, Captain of Market Management Team No. 9 said: "Through the process of implementing price posting, most of the traders have realized that price posting brings benefits to them in business and attracting customers, so they have done quite well. However, besides the traders who have done well in price posting, there are still some households that have not strictly implemented it or posted prices just to cope, some households only post prices when they see inspection teams appear..."

Dinh Market is currently the first market in Quy Hop district to implement price posting and selling at the listed price. In order for this business method to take place seriously, the market management board always conducts daily inspections of stalls and organizes signing of commitments with all business households in the market. If any shop owner is found to be not following the listed price or challenging the selling price or soliciting, it will be immediately transferred to the Market Management Board for handling. To replicate this model, in the coming time, the Team will continue to check the quality of goods and guide and propagate business households to properly implement the regulations on price posting to restore order and rectify business activities at markets in Quy Hop district.

The above reality shows that small traders still do not fully understand that posting prices and selling at the listed price is a State regulation to ensure the legitimate rights of consumers, establish order in buying and selling activities, and this is also a manifestation of commercial civilization. Therefore, in addition to strengthening inspections, the authorities need to step up propaganda, helping small traders understand that posting prices and selling at the listed price is a necessary thing to do... In a difficult economic period, purchasing power is quiet, many markets have to leave many stalls empty, the advantage will belong to businesses with business methods that satisfy customers. And one of the ways to retain customers is to do a good job of posting prices and selling at the listed price.

Article and photos: Ngoc Anh