Ministry issues list for offers, promotions

The Ministry of Business and Trade (MBT) has issued a list of establishments authorised to provide special offers and promotions on goods and services.

These offers and promotions apply to a variety of goods and services, including vehicles, food items, banking and hotel services, perfumes, accessories and furniture.

For instance, a large number of outlets have been authorised to issue a gift voucher of 25 purchases from the same place on each purchase of a Hala SIM card worth QR50, which also contains a credit of QR25. Other outlets can issue a draw coupon on each purchase of QR50, giving customers the chance to win prizes.

These include tyres, perfumes, edible and non-edible items and even bank loans and services.

The MBT list specifies the dates on which the promotion starts and concludes. The outlets and retailers permitted to conduct such activities have to display this clearly during the promotion period.

During the summer holiday and the holy month of Ramadan, many retailers and brands across the country compete with each other through a range of special offers. Mostly, these include gift vouchers on goods bought from the same place, schemes such as “buy two, get one free” and vouchers worth a certain sum for customers who buy goods worth a specified amount.

While most customers welcome this practice and see it as a good initiative by retailers, others feel it is a means of luring them to make purchases beyond their actual needs.