DOHA - There is no shortage of 50-dirham coins in Qatar. This is contrary to what some hypermarkets and grocery store officials say to justify giving away cheap candies and chewing gums instead of the small denomination change.
Based on the Second Quarterly Statistical Bulletin for 2008 released by the Qatar Central Bank, there was QR11.52m worth of 50-dirham coins in circulation as of June this year. In other words, there were 23.04 million units of such coins in the country.
In January this year, there was QR10.89m worth of 50-dirham denomination (21.78m units). Therefore, an additional QR630,000 worth of 50-dirhams (1.26m units) was produced in a span of five months.
A recent post in Qatar Living (QL) entitled 'Fifty Dirhams Robbery' has solicited dozens of reactions from concerned residents with one respondent calling the act of giving out sweets that don't sell instead of the 50-dirham change a 'gum selling strategy' of some hypermarkets and grocery stores.
"Okay 50 dirhams is peanuts for some but imagine doing this to a thousand other shoppers in a day? It can very well pay off someone's salary there!" said ron_ona, one of those who posted in the QL thread.
"I am just wondering why they don't prepare these coins at the start of the day. Definitely there will be several transactions that would generate coin change. This isn't something new," another post said. While many believe there is no dearth of coins, others say there is and this is caused by the fact that consumers take 50 dirhams for granted since they find it of less or no value at all. "You can't buy anything for 50 dirhams nowadays so people don't keep them," said Angela, a Filipino resident who blamed inflation for the problem.
The management of an international school has recently decided to put a charity box in their canteen since students don't care getting their 50-dirham change.
"Many people just throw their coins away considering them as burden in their purses," said Mahmoud, an Iranian resident.
"There is coin shortage. We only get a few units every day, and buyers normally don't have available coins to pay," a cashier at LuLu Hypermarket said. Asked when the problem started, she said since she began working with LuLu about a year ago she had always observed lack of coins
every day. However, many find it an income generating strategy which is not just practised by retail shops but also by other businesses. "Karwa drivers don't give 50-dirham change also," Siva, a Bangladeshi resident said. He added that bus drivers do not accept 50-dirham coins.
Other residents just think of ways to avoid being taken for a ride claiming candies they don't like. Some use credit cards instead of paying cash while others always have ready coins in their purses.
By Raynald Rivera
© The Peninsula 2008
