KUWAIT: The Union of Cooperative Societies (UCS) aims to relieve people from extra spending and expenses during the Holy Month of Ramadan by decreasing the prices of some food items. The UCS Committee for controlling prices will subsidize the prices of about 100 food items which are usually consumed during Ramadan. The coops did not receive the UCS decree yet, but they know that coops will hold discount festivals and promotions that month. "Every year during Ramadan, and even before the month starts, our coop decreases the price of some food stuff with or without a decree from the UCS. The discount reaches about 50 percent and includes items consumed in Ramadan such as crème caramel, jelly, flour, rice, juice syrups, Tang juice powder and many others. Such promotions are held by all of the coops around Kuwait. They usually start about 7 to 10 days before Ramadan," Ahmad from Hadiya Coop told the Kuwait Times.
Abu Ibraheem from Farwaniya Coop explained that the items usually included in the promotion are local products. "All local products are discounted during the festival, and also some other imported items that are fast moving during Ramadan, such as Vimto, rice, tea, sugar, pasta, and others. The discount is real as the Vimto, for instance, costs 720 fils but during the festival it costs around 400 fils," he explained."This Ramadan promotion only lasts for two days or so, so people quickly buy up the stocks. The cheap prices attract people to buy more than their need. So, for instance, the family that consumes a bottle of Vimto per month buys two cartons during the Ramadan promotion," he added.
Yousef, a 58-year-old expatriate father, thinks that all the offers promoted by the coops whether they are in Ramadan or during other seasons are tricky. "Most of these promotions are false, and only aim to attract the consumer to come and buy. For instance, they promoted a 50 percent sale on oil. But when I took it, I discovered at the cashier that the price was the same as the regular price. When I asked the cashier, he replied that the stock on sale was already sold. That meant that the stock included in the sale was about to expire, so this was the reason for the sale. The traders are smart, and they won't just make discounts randomly," he pointed out.
The promotions and price drop of some items does not affect Yousef's purchase of goods. "When I see a promotion and discount it's not necessary to buy a bigger quantity than I really need. I usually buy my stuff for a few days up to one week. The only exception when I buy more, is for the goods with a long expiration date, especially Vimto during Ramadan," he added. Abu Khaled from Nuzha Coop gave different information about the discounted items. "Usually the Union subsidizes the food items in Ramadan that hold the logo of the Union. These items are bought by the Union for discounted prices of the companies so they offer it for a cheap price. Other goods are not included in the promotion," he stated.
© Kuwait Times 2012
