In the run-up to the holy month of Ramadan, major hypermarkets have experienced a surge in the number of shoppers due to various offerings and hundreds of discounted products, Gulf Times has learnt.
Residents have started storing up provisions for the holy month, mostly food items and other assorted products, which are now sold at cost or discounted prices.
A list of more than 400 subsidised products is available to shoppers at groceries and hypermarkets like LuLu, which has launched Ramadan-related promos, while in Al Meera, the store is selling 1,437 products at cost price on top of other discounted items.
The cap on the more than 400 consumer products issued by the Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC) is part of its Ramadan programme dubbed “Aqal Min Al Wajeb,” which means “the least we can do” in Arabic.
“Even during weekdays, our store has seen the influx of shoppers, who are benefiting from the affordable prices of many consumer goods,” a staffer of Al Meera in Al Mansoura said.
Another staffer from Géant Hypermarket at Hyatt Plaza said many more items are available in their store compared to other Al Meera branches. “Many people flock here because aside from the availability of more products, we also offer other promos, which, sometimes, are not being offered in other Al Meera stores,” she said.
Leaflets are available at Géant for a promo, which runs from June 2 to 7, on various products, including bananas from the Philippines sold at QR3 per kg, two 1.8ltr bottles plus 750ml bottle of Noor Sunflower Oil for QR20, and 5kg of DC Jasmine Rice for QR10, among others. Similarly, LuLu distributed flyers giving details of special Ramadan offers (from June 2 to 7) such as 500gm of Tang Instant Orange Drink for QR16 (three packs), 1ltr Al Safi UHT Milk for QR9.75 (four pieces), and 900gm of Averama Chicken Drumstick for QR13.50 (two pieces), among others.
Speaking to Gulf Times earlier, Al Meera Deputy CEO Dr Mohamed Nasser al-Qahtani said Al Meera and its local suppliers are co-ordinating to provide offers on around 850 consumer products, in addition to 300 deals on household and kitchenware items.
Al-Qahtani added that Al Meera is also working with international suppliers in Turkey, Thailand, Vietnam, the US, and the UK, among others to import “the best products” and to provide imported items from the company’s various sources prior to the holy month of Ramadan.
Similarly, a staff at LuLu Hypermarket along D Ring Road said the management is “well-prepared” for the season and has coordinated with its local and international suppliers to ensure the availability of various consumer products.
The MEC announced a warning earlier that it would not tolerate any violation of the Consumer Protection Law and its regulations as it vowed to intensify its inspection campaign to crack down on violations.
The ministry had also encouraged consumers to report any violation to the Consumer Protection and Anti-Commercial Fraud department.
Long queues at the cashier’s counter are common at many hypermarkets. PICTURE: Ram Chand
