DOHA: With the summer holidays round the corner, shopping malls have started announcing big promotions to woo customers. However, consumers are becoming more and more weary of these so called “sales”, shows an opinion poll.
The survey also indicates that the few traditional souqs in Qatar still have their loyal customers, despite the popularity of the cozy shopping malls across the country.
An overwhelming majority — 87 percent — of respondents to the online survey conducted by Al Sharq believes the promotions offered by most shopping malls are not genuine. Only seven percent are satisfied with such offers while the remaining six percent didn’t express any opinion.
Of a cross section of the population in Qatar, including nationals and expatriates, less than half — 47 percent — have expressed a clear preference for the malls and hypermarkets, when it comes to shopping. A sizeable 24 percent of the respondents said they preferred the traditional souqs to the shopping malls.
The remaining 29 percent said they don’t have any loyalty and can shop “anywhere”. People are also upset with the rising cost of living in the country, with majority of the respondents- 88 per cent- expressing the view that prices of commodities are on the rise.
The promotions have come the focus with the onset of summer and in the context of several recent incidents in which fake offers were detected by inspectors at the Consumer Protection Department (CPD) and the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning.
Only last week the CPD cancelled the promotion of three shopping outlets selling products ranging from textiles to car accessories having found that the price discounts offered on many items were not genuine. The displayed prices didn’t tally with the actual prices.
Many customers expressed the view that promotions have been used by shops to sell out their old stocks and those close to the expiry date. All outlets are required to get special permission from the Ministry of Business and Trade before announcing promotions and they are also required to submit the new prices, along with the old ones.
Some customers, however, allege that some shops hike the prices before offering a discount, although it is not legally permitted. “The promotions are mostly offered for low-quality and substandard products. You rarely find such offers for branded products, except with exclusive dealers,” said a customer.
The Peninsula
