The market was deserted on June 1st.

(Baonghean.vn) – Along with the difficult economic situation and the struggles of people's lives, the market for children's toys has also seen a decline in customers. Consumers are hesitant when choosing gifts and services for their children, and sales at many stores have decreased significantly compared to the same period last year, as we observed during this Children's Day.

In late May, toy sections at supermarkets like BigC and Metro (Vinh City) displayed a wide variety of toys, but most were of Chinese origin, and observations showed that the number of customers was not high. On the evening of May 29th, at Big C supermarket, we saw closely spaced stalls with eye-catching displays. Inflatable animals, robots, toy cars, balloons... in various colors and styles. Many parents and their children were browsing the stalls, but the number of people choosing items was very small. Ms. Hang from Nghi An, who was shopping at Big C with her son (over 3 years old), said: "I've been to three stores but haven't found anything I like, so I came to the supermarket to see what I could find. It's so hard to choose toys for my child; it has to be affordable, suit his interests, and stimulate his intellect."

Indeed, many parents struggled to buy gifts for their children, with many spending a long time in the toy section before leaving without choosing anything. Not only in supermarkets, but also in many small toy stores on the street, customers were sparse, more hesitant, and more cautious before making a purchase. Many store owners hoped that the children's gift market would heat up and become more vibrant on the weekend, which also coincided with June 1st.



The place was packed with goods but had few customers.



Customers are hesitant in their choices.

However, the situation didn't improve much on June 1st. On the morning of June 1st, the school supplies and bookstore displayed a 10% discount and gifts for International Children's Day, but there weren't many customers. The toy section was quite well-stocked on the shelves, both inside and outside, but customers just looked around and put things down. A few customers looked at the items and prices but didn't decide to buy, instead opting to buy storybooks. Mr. Loan from Hung Binh ward shared: "Every year around this time, besides gifts for my two children, I usually buy gifts for the other children in the family, but this year is difficult, my work income has decreased, so I have to be more careful. I was planning to buy my child a domestically produced wooden jigsaw puzzle, but it already costs nearly 200,000 VND."

After hesitating for a moment, Mr. Loan turned to the bookshelf. Finally, he chose a few comic books to give to his children and grandchildren. Besides a few customers buying toys, most were choosing books and supplies for their children to prepare for the upcoming school year. One woman who bought a set of 8th-grade books said, "My daughter is growing up, and I chose to buy this set of books on June 1st as a gift for her. It's both meaningful and economical."

At a toy stall on Nguyen Van Cu Street, a saleswoman wiping dust off the shelves shared: "Usually, the atmosphere at the end of May is bustling with activity, but this year, not only has the number of customers decreased sharply, but even items costing a few hundred thousand dong aren't selling, mostly just a few inexpensive items. With fewer customers and lower sales, we're not even considering restocking." When asked about sales figures, the saleswoman smiled sadly, shook her head, and declined to answer.

Besides toys, clothes and shoes are also popular gifts for children. At Hung Dung market, Ms. Hung, the owner of a popular knitwear shop, said: "In previous years, dresses and clothes for Children's Day sold very well. I had to proactively import tens of millions of dong worth of goods, and by June 1st, there was very little left on the shelves. But this year, business is very slow. I anticipated the demand and reduced my imports, but sales are still slow."

Besides the shops and stores selling toys and children's clothing, which were deserted, the central park was also not very crowded. Ms. Phuong, who lives in Do Luong, brought her child to Vinh on International Children's Day to visit relatives and let her child have fun. However, she explained that the entrance fee to the central park was high, and the prices of the games there were also quite expensive, so instead of going to the park, she took her child to the playground at the nearby club. There were also bouncy rides, fishing, and train rides... but two hours there only cost a little over 100,000 VND, while going to the park would cost several hundred thousand VND for the whole family. - Ms. Phuong said.



Affordable, the playground at the Club attracts quite a lot of children.

Low prices and no entrance fee are the reasons why many parents bring their children to play at the club on International Children's Day.

The variety of toys and prices have remained almost unchanged compared to normal days and the same period last year. However, due to the difficult economic situation and the fact that most products are from China with negative health information circulating, purchasing power has decreased and sales have fallen. And it's not just the toy market; parents are also considering options for playgrounds and other recreational activities for children.

Thu Huyen