School supplies market: Vietnamese goods reign supreme

On the eve of the new school year 2013-2014, millions of parents across the country have begun their pre-shopping season. According to a recent survey, purchasing power only increases strongly during the time close to the school year, not many parents shop early like every year even though prices this year have not fluctuated much compared to last year.

Slow consumption of foreign goods

With the current information that many Chinese products contain toxic substances that affect health, most parents find out information about the origin very clearly before buying. A quick survey at some bookstores such as Fahasa, Thang Long and An Dong market, Thu Duc in Ho Chi Minh City shows that in addition to the quality and design factors, most buyers also consider the origin of the product when choosing.

Ms. Minh Nguyet, living in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, shared: "Even if the products are beautiful and affordable but are made in China, I will not choose them. Recently, there has been a lot of information about children's toys exported to difficult markets such as the US or Europe that still contain many toxic substances, so I am very skeptical about the safety of educational products sold widely in Vietnam.Male”. In addition, consumers also said that products of unknown origin, although beautiful in design, showed signs of damage after only a few uses, such as pens leaking, ink smudging, school uniforms shrinking, wrinkling, and fading after the first wash due to the use of poor quality fabric, etc.

Despite the good quality, school supplies originating from Japan, Thailand, France, etc. are rarely chosen by parents. Ms. Thu Ha, residing in An Phu, District 2, wondered: "Shopping at the beginning of the school year, each item only costs a few tens of thousands, but adding up the books, uniforms, school supplies, etc., it costs more than 3 million, not to mention this year I have another child entering first grade, so I can't buy everything imported."

According to the assessment of An Dong market traders, the prices of goods this year have almost not increased. Some traders who buy goods from China have a price advantage over other traders, but the goods are still stagnant and have not been sold much, and imported goods at bookstores are also sparsely purchased. According to some traders at Thu Duc market, the amount of inventory this year is about 60% while at the same time last year they could sell up to 70% of the goods.

Domestic products are popular

Instead of going to the market to buy school supplies for their children like every year, this year supermarkets and bookstores are the trusted destinations of many parents. In addition to guaranteed quality and clear origin, supermarkets and bookstores also cooperate with manufacturers to offer discount programs for parents before the new school year.

For groups of basic school supplies such as notebooks, pens, rulers, school bags, uniforms... at supermarkets, there are strong discounts. A quick price survey at the Metro wholesale center system of some Vietnamese products such as 100-page Vibook notebooks is 20% off, now 41,600 VND/6 books, 96-page Aro notebooks are 34,900 VND/10 books, Miti school bags are 30% off, Sanding uniforms for primary and secondary school students are up to 50% off and are sold at the same price for skirts, men's and women's shirts, and men's trousers are 59,900 VND/item. Ms. Doan Thi Nguyet Oanh, representative of Metro Cash & Carry, said that the company highly appreciates the quality and reasonableness of Vietnamese products. This year, the company cooperates with domestic suppliers to launch a "Back to School" promotion program for professional customers, especially grocery stores and offices, with more than 1,000 discounted items.

At bookstores, the purchasing power of domestically produced goods has basically increased steadily. However, the sales of supporting products such as reference books, electronic dictionaries, etc. are lower than the same period in 2012.

“Every parent wants to equip their children with the best for the new school year, but with the current consumption trend, I have to consider carefully when buying to balance family spending,” said Ms. Sang in Ward 15, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City. “I think not only me but many parents will also choose Vietnamese products and pay attention to promotional programs to shop reasonably for the new school year.”

According to baotienphong.PH