Amidst complicated developments of the pandemic, supermarkets and shopping centers in the province increased the stockpile of essential goods and raised the level of disease prevention control to ensure a safe shopping environment for people.
Supermarkets increased stockpile of goods, ensure supply to customers during the epidemic.
To increase stockpile
As soon as the COVID-19 reappeared in some provinces, supermarkets in the province increased the reserve of essential goods by nearly 50% compared to normal. Nguyễn Thị Hồng Khanh, Director of Co.op Mart Binh Duong 2, said that from beginning of March, Co.op Mart system had increased goods reserve to the maximum level to ensure a regular supply and stable prices to the market in the following months. Namely, supermarkets increased by nearly 50% of essential items such as sugar, rice, instant noodles, cooking oil, salt, dried food; and especially epidemic prevention control items, such as hand sanitizers, soaps, antibacterial cloth face masks. According to Nguyễn Thị Hồng Khanh, in addition to guaranteeing a stable source of goods, the Co.op Mart system continued to improve the level of disease prevention control due to the current complicated epidemic situation.
According to Khanh, currently, purchase price is not likely to increase due to an abundant stock of goods. However, regarding food, especially necessities, this supermarket will continue to cooperate with suppliers to maintain price stability in many forms such as rotating discounts and promotions to ease the spending pressure of consumers, curb the increase of market prices during the pandemic.
Big C Binh Duong supermarket also actively implemented plans to ensure food reserves, provide adequate supplies in many situations, and especially continue to reduce prices and offer promotions on hundreds of essential products to share difficulties with customers. Thái Thành Nhân, Head of Fresh Food Department at Big C Binh Duong Supermarket, said that thanks to long-term contracts and support of partners, Big C attempts to stabilize prices while rotating discount programs from 20-49% for many products.
From mid-April 2021, supermarkets have began to receive some offers to increase prices of some items in May 2021, mainly for milk and nutritional powder product groups, instant noodles, with a reason that raw material prices and input costs increased. However, according to supermarkets, all supplier’s suggestions about price increase have been carefully considered by retailers, will not immediately applied, but suppliers must provide a reasonable procedure based on the typical delay of each product group and industry. On the other hand, while taking full advantage of the support of partners who are manufacturers, suppliers are work together to lower profits to decrease goods prices in order to reduce consumer’s pressure amidst the epidemic spreading.
To join hands for the Covid-19 prevention and control
In recent days, supermarkets in the province have put more effort into disease prevention and control at their offices as well as the entire shopping area. Customers, who come to shop at supermarkets, are required to wear face masks, measure their body temperature, keep a safe distance... In addition, some supermarkets also cooperated with health agencies to disinfect shopping spaces and epidemic prevention and control work. In addition, items for sale at supermarkets, especially those for disease prevention and control, are plentiful and at stable prices. Activities went on normally, but the number of shoppers was not much. Both sellers and buyers wear masks and try to keep a safe distance as buying and selling.
At Co.op Mart Binh Duong 1 and 2, MM Mega Market etc. customers enter shopping areas after going through two rounds of body temperature measurement and hand sanitizing. At Big C Binh Duong 2, right from the entrance, staff asked customers to wash their hands and disinfect. Thái Thành Nhân said that at this supermarket, there was no situation of people rushing to buy and hoard necessities. “The number of visitors coming directly the supermarket decreased, but the number of customers placing online orders increased by 20-30%. Therefore, Big C is also implementing a support program of free delivery within 10km for orders from 200,000 VND. Customers may install and update Big C mobile apps to shop at good prices while ensuring the disease prevention control and minimizing going out," said Nhàn.
Reported by Thanh Hong - Translated by Ngoc Huynh
