JEDDAH: Saudi consumers need to develop a culture of self-discipline to counter the unreasonable pricing of goods in the local market.
This is the view of an experienced trader in consumer items, Muhammad Salimain, who is baffled by the trend of local customers opting for expensive brands while cheaper and equally good alternatives are available.
“I wonder why customers mostly choose the two most expensive brands out of eight available all of which are almost of the same quality. There is no reasonable explanation why they don’t use cheaper brands,” Salimain said, speaking to Arab News.
He said he has noticed the same trend with rice, an essential food item among Saudis. He said the price of rice has shot up in an unprecedented manner in recent years. People prefer to buy the most expensive Indian variety of Basmati in the market even though cheaper varieties are available.
“People are only happy when they buy a 45 kilo bag for SR160. Rice costing SR90 is, meanwhile, looked down upon,” he said.
Salimain believes customers should, particularly as the global economy is passing through a crisis, abandon snobbish practices and learn to economize. “They ought to try cheaper varieties and learn to save their hard-earned money,” he said.
Muhammad Bahassan, a fruit juice and dairy product trader, agreeing with Salimain’s views, said he also disapproves of the general tendency to buy expensive imported juices and dairy products, when just as good local products are available. “If they buy the cheaper brands they could save a lot of money. The quality is almost the same. They should know that the authorities do not allow the sale of food items that are of inferior quality,” he said. He added that it makes no difference to traders what varieties they sell, as their profit margins are mostly the same.
Abu Abdullah, a Saudi shopper at a supermarket, said he prefers to buy a particular brand of washing powder, even though it is the most expensive on the shelf.
“It is because my wife is familiar with it and now she does not want to change her habit even if there are cheaper alternatives available,” he said.
Hussain Al-Nuami, an electronic trader, advised customers to only buy good quality electric brands and not to be tricked by cheap goods or imitations. He also warned people against buying used electronic appliances, as the cost of repairing them exceeds the price of a brand new one.
There are special departments under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs which regularly inspect markets to guarantee products sold meet quality specifications and are not over-priced. These departments are also authorized to seize poor quality foodstuff and punish offenders.
It was reported previously that commercial fraud inspectors seized 149 tons and about 1.5 million pieces of consumer goods due to violating regulations governing standard specifications during the first half of last year.
The Saudi Arabian Standards Organization sets the standard of quality for goods and appliances to be manufactured or imported and sold in the Kingdom. It is illegal to market products that fail to fulfill those standards.
Customers can see the standard price of various agricultural products in various markets in the Kingdom on the Ministry of Agriculture’s website. Customers who wish to report cases of fraud or overpricing should call toll free number 8000 124 1616.
