Receive pension and start Tet shopping early.

(Baonghean.vn) - The Lunar New Year of the Rooster is approaching, but currently, purchasing power is low and shopping is slower than in previous years. A wide variety of goods have been almost fully prepared to meet the needs of the holiday. Many retired housewives are taking advantage of early shopping after receiving their pensions.

Many people in Vinh City who receive their pensions are shopping for Tet (Lunar New Year) early.

Lunar New Year goods are in season.

At markets such as Vinh Market, Hung Dung Market, Quan Lau Market, Quan Bau Market, etc., in Vinh City, a wide variety of Tet (Lunar New Year) goods are imported to meet the shopping needs of the people.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh, owner of a grocery store on Nguyen Duy Trinh Street in Vinh City, said: “About a month in advance, our store prepared Tet goods while prices were still stable to avoid price surges closer to Tet, ensuring we had affordable prices and sufficient supply for consumers. Some items saw price increases of 500 to 1,000 dong...”

Not only confectionery and alcoholic beverages, but also flower and ornamental plant growers are busily preparing unique and exotic plants and flowers for sale during Tet (Lunar New Year). Some pomelo trees cost from 8 to 15 million VND/tree, while those with beautiful shapes and abundant fruit can reach tens of millions of VND; small and medium-sized kumquat trees are priced from 150,000 VND to 2,500,000 VND/tree. This year, the market in Vinh City has seen the emergence of a novel ornamental papaya tree priced from 3 to 5 million VND/tree.

In addition, household goods for holiday needs, such as mini gas stoves, induction cookers, and electric stoves priced from 600,000 to 1,200,000 VND, are also being promoted by supermarket chains with discounts of 15-25%.

Many ornamental plants and flowers for Tet (Lunar New Year) were gathered about 20 days in advance, but the prices were not cheap at all. Each ornamental pomelo tree cost over 8 million VND.

At the markets, pork, vegetables, and fresh food are currently quite abundant, waiting for people. Prices remain stable, such as live pork at 30,000 - 35,000 VND/kg, and lean pork at 37,000 - 38,000 VND/kg. Seasonal vegetables like chrysanthemum greens are priced at 5,000 VND/bundle, and mustard greens at 7,000 VND/bundle...

Slow purchasing power

According to observations, purchasing power has not increased significantly compared to the same period last year. At supermarkets, people are mainly focusing on discounted food items or essential products for daily needs.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hanh, from Hung Phuc Ward, Vinh City, said: "At this time, many items in supermarkets are on sale, so I took the opportunity to buy some necessary household items..."

The atmosphere at the markets was also not very lively. From early morning, many vendors at the markets said that goods were diverse and abundant, but purchasing power was still slow. They mainly imported goods from other regions to serve people in other places during Tet (Lunar New Year), and prices hadn't increased yet. Ms. Phan Anh Tho, from Vinh market, said: “With only a little over a week left until Tet, the number of people buying decorative items such as rubber flowers, silk flowers, accessories for decorating peach branches and houses... is gradually increasing, but purchasing power is still weak, mainly driven by traders coming to buy goods to resell. But I predict that around the 25th or 26th of the lunar month, purchasing power will increase 4-5 times compared to the current time.”

Many tech products have stable prices during the Lunar New Year holiday.

Nowadays, many people no longer have the mentality of stockpiling; they only buy enough for a few days during Tet (Lunar New Year). However, many families still take advantage of shopping early to avoid shortages and sudden price increases in the days leading up to Tet.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong from Hung Loc, Vinh City, said: “This year, the government is paying out pensions early for Tet, and our children and grandchildren are working far away, so my husband and I are taking advantage of the time to shop for Tet in advance. Prices are stable now, and most goods are readily available and abundant.”

Phuong Thuy