Consumers are being overwhelmed by advertisements of every kind from every kind of business. All the ads offer discount prices which are linked to “valuable” prizes. The majority of the ad sponsors, however, say one thing in public while planning something very different in secret. But the most puzzling thing is that, despite knowing the ads are not necessarily true, consumers nonetheless flock to the shops. The same ads are produced with the same purpose — luring consumers into falling for them. It is unfortunate that some merchants who have long since forgotten the concept of commercial integrity have gone so far as to offer goods for sale that are past their sell-by date.
Some even resort to putting additives or other substances to prolong the life of the product or preserve its taste, even if this means a possible threat to public health. A foodstuffs trader once spoke of a shameful practice by some restaurant operators. The operators deliberately buy low quality products cheaply or products which are about to expire — also cheaply — and then charge customers full prices for the food prepared from them. Others even buy expired goods and add preservatives during cooking to give the food a better flavor.
Newspapers constantly caution consumers against health risks that may result from the use of improperly stored foodstuffs and inferior quality industrial products. Take for example potassium; it is still added to bread to give the desired taste — despite numerous warnings that adding potassium may be dangerous to human health. And what about the chaos in shops when so-called “bargain prices” are in reality nothing more than advertisements to attract customers. Sales are organized all through the year, and in some shops, it seems that everything is always on sale or available for a special price. Something sold in one shop for SR10 is sold in another for SR35 even though the place of origin and the local agent are the same in both cases.
In light of these constant violations, the authorities should expedite the establishment of a consumer protection body to rein in these traders. Such a body would oversee quality and price and ensure that only good quality products are offered for sale and that there are no wide variations in the price of the same items. Violators would be immediately reported, and for repeated offenses, the punishment would be the closure of the business.
Arab News From the Local Press 16 April 2003
