JEDDAH, 13 September 2007 — Ramadan is here and this means longer lines at the grocery store, even for those who planned ahead.
“I thought I was being smart when I went shopping for Ramadan stuff a week before the month started,” said housewife Samia Hasan. “I went there and found crowds of people. I stood in the cashier line for around 15 minutes waiting for my turn.”
Although prices are higher this year, thanks to a weakening US dollar (and perhaps more than a few people taking advantage of the market needs during the Ramadan season) food shopping remains as much a necessity this year as any. Further putting pressure on the family budget this year is Ramadan’s proximity to the end of the summer vacation seasons and back-to-school shopping.
“Even though prices are higher. There is nothing we can do about it,” said Nahla, a teacher in a private school.
“We need to go shopping many times a week,” said Salma Hameeduddeen, a woman with a large family, adding that she was unable to set aside money for savings in the month before Ramadan.
Sarah Ahmad suggests that grocery stores provide express lanes, like they do in other countries. “You end up walking through the crowds in the supermarket even if you buy few things,” she said.
Ahmad Al-Iraqi, accounting manager at Sawary Supermarkets, said that there is a high demand for rice, oats (used during Ramadan as a thickener for seasonal soups), and drinks in general.
Meanwhile, he said the demand for other kinds of products goes down, such as cosmetics. Al-Iraqi says overall sales go up about 10 to 15 percent during the Ramadan season. And most supermarkets extend their hours. Some stay open 24 hours a day during the peak of Ramadan shopping.
“We change working hours for staffers at the supermarket these days. Fewer staffers and cashiers work in the morning while more stay for the evening shifts in the rush hours from 6 p.m. to 12 p.m.,” he said.
