Food is in high demand, fashion is quiet after Tet

Market traders often open early after Tet. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Starting from the afternoon of the first day of Tet, in front of some markets, many small traders have been selling items such as green vegetables, meat, fresh fish... to serve people's needs. By the 6th day, most markets had reopened, and businesses had opened their doors to sell.

After Tet, the demand for fresh food increases, so the prices of items such as vegetables, meat, fish, shrimp, crab... increase, but there are still many buyers.

Ms. Yen Thien, owner of a vegetable and fruit stall at Hung Dung market, said: "After Tet, prices of all kinds of vegetables increased, and purchasing power also increased. There were days when I sold dozens of kilograms of Ky Son squash, taro, and mustard greens."

Besides, the demand for fresh flowers and fruits for offerings on the upcoming Tet (Flooring the Flagpole) Festival, the 15th day of the first lunar month, and the first temple and pagoda ceremonies of the year has increased, so these items sell quite well, with prices doubling or even tripling compared to normal days.

Fresh fruit is in high demand after Tet. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Meanwhile, many grocery stores did not open until the morning of the 8th to serve customers.

Mr. Nguyen Cong Quynh, owner of a grocery kiosk on Hermann Gmeiner Street, said: “Usually in previous years, the store opened on the 4th or 6th. This year, the date was considered good and suitable for my age, so my store opened later. At the beginning of the year, almost every household still had some confectionery, alcohol, cooking oil, fish sauce, etc., so purchasing power was low, so we only opened the store on the day of the month.”

Despite offering lucky money and promotional programs, fashion stores are still empty of customers. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Similarly, despite choosing a good day to open the first store of the year and launching promotions and lucky money, clothing and shoe stores are very empty.

Ms. Quynh Trang, owner of a clothing shop on Nguyen Van Cu Street, shared: “After Tet, it is the hardest time to sell clothes in the year. Because before Tet, people rushed to buy, the weather has not changed seasons and goods have not been imported, so there are few customers. We opened the shop on the morning of the 8th but by noon there was still no one opening the shop, so the women in the same row opened their own shops to bring each other luck...”.

Many stores remain "closed" after Tet. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Along with that, household goods, handicrafts, flowers and ornamental plants... are still "closed" because people have already shopped before Tet.