DAMMAM , 13 May — Privately, residents of Dammam and Alkhobar are pleading with their friends and relatives to join the boycott of US goods.
"We know that such boycott will not have any effect on the American economy as such, but this is our way of lodging our protest and expressing our anger over America’s support for Israel," said Abdullah Hadi Al-Qahtani, a teacher in a secondary school in Dammam.
Managers of fast food chains in Alkhobar contacted by Arab News predictably refused to admit that there has been any decline in the number of their customers. However, deserted restaurants tell a different story. Prior to the Israeli action in the West Bank, Al-Rasheed Mall — home to Pizza Hut, MacDonald’s, Burger King, Chili, Taco Bell and so on — was always crowded on weekends. After the Israeli invasion, however, a reduction in the numbers has been evident.
A cash clerk at one of the most prestigious burger outlets told this reporter that his top management is worried about the dramatic decline in the number of customers visiting the restaurant over the past six weeks.
Similarly, at Gourmet Court in Alkhobar’s Dhahran Street, where a series of American fast food chains also exist, things are now much slower than they were before the Israeli invasion. Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Hardee’s and MacDonald’s have all boomed in recent years in this part of town, but it is obvious now that customers are no longer flocking to them in similar numbers.
A range of carbonated drinks are also being targeted as part of the boycott. Sales have anyway been slow because of the mild weather, but the present trend indicates that there will be a further negative effect.
However, US distributors can take comfort in the fact that there is no local alternative to sparkling mineral water, which is massively popular here in the Eastern Province.
Supermarkets and groceries have also been affected by this unofficial boycott. Consumers are boycotting many detergents, soaps, shaving creams and blades, cigarettes and canned food.
"We’ve been using American Ketchup for years. But now we have started to buy a Lebanese brand," said Khaled Al-Ma’adi, a shopper in one of Alkhobar’s biggest supermarkets.
Small shopping centers and baqalas have as a result reduced their orders of American products.
"There is a visible decline in the demand of various American products and I don’t want to take any risks, so I am now ordering products made in European countries, Asia or the Middle East itself," said Abdul Latif Al-Jamal, owner of the Jamal Shopping Center in Thuqba district.
The boycott has correspondingly resulted in an increase in business for Arab fast food chains. The Americanization of eating habits had threatened to render most of them profitless only a year ago. Saudi Burger, Baba Habbas, Pop Eye, Pizza Sheikh are just some of the chains which the boycott has put back onto the consumers’ agenda. Even a number of outlets that closed down when the American chains arrived now have plans to reopen.
Baba Habbas and Saudi Burger are once again witnessing long queues on weekends.
"Yes, we are experiencing a steady increase in sales," said a beaming manager of Saudi Burger on Prince Naif Street.
Baba Habbas, once a craze for the people of Dammam and Alkhobar, is regaining its old popularity.
Economists say that although the boycott is a gut reaction, it could well have a positive impact on the local economy and even contribute to the policy of Saudization.
"We are determined to continue supporting the local products," said Abdul Aziz Al-Nasser, a staff member at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran. "Why should I even term it a boycott of American products? To me, it’s got more to do with our support for local and regional products."
