With the Eid Al-Fitr holiday just days away, many families in the Kingdom have admitted to being cash-strapped due to the summer holiday and Ramadan, and don't know how they would afford the expenses of the month ahead.
“I have five children and am worried how I will be able to afford clothing and school supplies,” said Mazen Al-Zahrani, a private sector employee who earns around SR 6,000 per month.
He said that he has fallen into debt by allowing his family to travel to nearby Dubai for a couple of weeks during the summer holiday, as well as trying to afford the household expenses of Ramadan. “I have three different credit cards that have all been maxed-out,” he sadly admitted.
Some others say that due to their financial woes they have been forced to stop shopping at the larger malls and purchase household items from discount stores.
“We usually go shopping for household decorations at some of the famous shops on Tahlia Street and at various malls, and for school supplies at the well-known bookstores, but this year we have opted to shop at discounted merchandisers such as Home Center and Bashawat due to a lack of funds,” said a Saudi mother of three, wishing to remain anonymous. She added that she would like to purchase special Eid gifts for her children, but simply can't afford this year.
Some families in need of assistance have been asking why stores are not having special Eid or back-to-school sales that would ease the financial burden.
“In other countries, such as in the West, large retailers usually offer sales ahead of the return to school. However, in the kingdom retailers take advantage of the consumer, making stretching one’s salary an even bigger problem,” Selwa Abdullah, a Saudi mother of six, said. Arab News spoke to retailers of school supplies such as Jarir Bookstore to find out why more sales are not being offered.
“We have discounted many of our school bags and other items already without launching an official sale campaign. Everything listed in our latest circular has been chosen as a sale item to help families afford sending their children back to school,” Mohammed Ziyad, a sales executive at Jarir Bookstore, claimed.
However, other retailers said it is perfectly acceptable to increase prices in line with seasonal times of the year.
