Mid-Autumn Festival market in Nghe An "calms down" following storms!

Although the stalls have been open for sale for nearly 2 months now and this is considered the peak time for people to buy moon cakes, the stalls are very deserted and have few customers. Along Le Mao, Le Loi, Quang Trung streets, moon cake brands and stores set up stalls and display their products early with eye-catching colors, a variety of cakes from popular to high-end, but there are very few customers stopping by to buy.

Ms. Tran Huong, an employee at a stall on Le Mao Street, said: “Every year, after the 15th day of the 7th lunar month, especially at the beginning of the 8th lunar month, there are a lot of customers, so we have to mobilize more staff to sell, pack and ship goods.

This year, there are only a few days left until the Mid-Autumn Festival, but sales are very sluggish, only 30% of last year's revenue. Most customers stop by to ask for prices, look for information, and then leave. Therefore, in the next 1-2 days, we are considering discounts and promotions to stimulate demand."

There are even stalls where the number of cakes sold can be counted on the fingers, the staff "takes them out in the morning and brings them in at night". In the past, grocery stores mainly sold wholesale to agencies, units, schools or charity organizations to organize collective Mid-Autumn Festival for children with the quantity up to thousands of cakes/Mid-Autumn Festival. However, this year, the number of customers ordering large quantities of cakes is almost non-existent, and the number of cakes sold in retail is also very limited.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai Yen, owner of a grocery store in Do Luong town, said: “We only sell affordable cakes, priced from 25,000 VND - 70,000 VND/piece; our target customers are groups; people buy retail for their children to enjoy the Mid-Autumn Festival. Although the market is expected to be difficult this year, I have proactively imported less goods, afraid that if I don’t sell the inventory, I will lose money. I didn’t expect that this year, the consumption will be so poor.”

At supermarkets and large shopping malls in the province, at this time, moon cakes with a variety of colors, diverse types and many attractive promotions are displayed right at the entrance to attract customers. However, according to records, the number of sales is quite small. Although it is close to the Mid-Autumn Festival, moon cakes are quite sluggish.

“In previous years, the best-selling products were high-end mooncakes, priced from VND700,000 to several million VND per box, which were bought as gifts. However, this year, the number of customers has dropped sharply,” said Ms. Thu Thuy, in charge of the mooncake stall at a supermarket on Le Nin Street.

Not only moon cakes but also children's toys - which are usually sold very well during this time - are also sold well; from children's toy stores, mother and baby supermarkets to bookstores and traditional markets, they are filled with star lanterns, toys, stuffed animals, fairy wings... for children, but the quantity sold is very limited.

“It’s already the 10th day of the lunar month, but not many people have asked to buy. This year, we have to keep the inventory,” said Nguyen Thi Hong Sam, owner of a stall at Hung Dung market (Vinh city).

Weak purchasing power is a common feature of the Mid-Autumn Festival market this year. According to small traders, there are many reasons. Firstly, the economy is difficult, people are tightening their spending, so they limit buying non-essential items, including moon cakes and toys.

Second, the current moon cake market is "saturated" with a series of brands, labels and handmade cakes, not to mention Chinese cakes sold on tiktok, YouTube, Fanpage... therefore, customers have many choices.

“Moon cakes, especially homemade ones, are sold almost all year round, so you can order them whenever you want, unlike in the past when you had to buy them at the right time. Not to mention, buying cakes during this time is much more expensive than usual, so I only buy one sticky rice cake and one baked cake to burn incense on the full moon day,” said Ms. Thu Huong, a resident of Hung Binh ward.

In addition, the North of our country is currently devastated by floods and storms, causing loss and pain, so all people are focusing their efforts on sharing with their fellow countrymen instead of organizing lavish Mid-Autumn Festival activities. Many volunteer groups, localities, agencies and units have announced to stop organizing Mid-Autumn Festival, and reserve funds to buy necessities to help people overcome the floods.

Ms. Phuong Mai, owner of a business selling cakes and Mid-Autumn Festival trays in Nghi Phu (Vinh City) said that since last month, she has received orders from 50 organizations and units to buy cakes and make trays to organize Mid-Autumn Festival for children. However, as of yesterday, the number of canceled orders was 40, the remaining 10 units also reduced the number of cakes to the minimum. The reason is that the organizations and units used the Mid-Autumn Festival organization funds to donate to flood victims.

"Although the goods are not selling well, I feel very happy because it is the right thing to do, showing the solidarity of all people. Therefore, I returned all deposits to the units that canceled the orders," Ms. Phuong Mai shared.