Ms. Tran Thi Thu (Cau Giay, Hanoi) and her daughter-in-law went to BigC Thang Long supermarket to shop for Tet from 8:30am until 12:30pm when the shopping cart was full and they were ready to pay. Due to the long queue for payment, Ms. Thu and her daughter-in-law had to wait for 30 minutes and it was still not their turn.
“There is a wide variety of goods to choose from and every counter and stall has promotions and discounts, which makes shopping at the supermarket fun and exciting,” said Ms. Thu.
At BigC Thang Long, all kinds of Tet goods are fully stocked on the shelves and are heavily discounted, especially fresh produce.
Discounted prices include corn at VND 9,900/kg (originally VND 7,900/kg) and North cabbage at VND 15,000/kg (originally VND 9,900/kg).
Cucumbers are discounted from VND 24,800/kg to VND 19,800/kg and tomatoes are reduced from VND 18,800 to VND 17,100/kg…
At 1:15pm on the 26th day of Tet, customers flocked to the supermarket for shopping even during the lunch break.
Many babies have to wait in line with their parents to pay for the goods.
Every counter is packed with customers. Unlike ordinary days when customers come for price comparison and sightseeing, during Tet almost all customers have the need to shop with a significantly increased quantity of goods.
Many people said they chose to shop on the day before Tet even though they knew it would be crowded and challenging because at this time supermarkets will receive a large amount of goods and compete to offer discounts, making almost every item much cheaper than usual.
Housewives are excited that even fresh meat is discounted, such as pork leg from VND 115,000/kg to VND 99,000/kg; Beef rib from VND 350,000/kg to VND 319,000/kg…
The goods storage area in front of BigC Thang Long supermarket is packed.
Other supermarkets such as Co.opmart, Winmart, MM Mega Market, Emart, Lotte Mart… are also flooded with Tet goods and have promotional programs to drive sales.
Representatives of these supermarkets have all confirmed that purchasing power has increased sharply by 20-40% compared to normal days and may continue to rise until the Lunar New Year.
Mr. Le Van Liem, Director of the Northern region for Saigon Co.op, the parent company of Co.opmart supermarkets, said that purchasing power of customers at Co.opmart supermarkets in the Northern region began to increase rapidly from the 23rd of the Lunar month.
Mr. Liem stated, “As of now, purchasing power has increased threefold compared to normal days and grown by 6-8% compared to the same period last year. Essential items that have significantly increased sales include cooking oil, fish sauce, spices, and various cakes, sweets, and candies for Tet Giap Thin 2024.”
