Da Nang: People jostle to buy goods and stock up on food before storm No. 12

Fearing that storm No. 12 would cause heavy rain, flooding and power outages, on the morning of October 22, people rushed to stock up on food and essential items, causing many items to quickly run out of stock.

On the morning of October 22, at Thanh Khe 1 market (Thanh Khe ward) and Hoa Khanh market (Hoa Khanh ward), the number of buyers increased sharply, causing local traffic congestion. Since early morning, hundreds of people flocked here to buy furniture and food to prepare for storm No. 12.

People flock to buy meat at Thanh Khe 1 market before storm No. 12. Photo: PHAM NGA

It is noted that food and essential goods stalls are always crowded. The main items purchased are: instant noodles, vegetables, meat, etc. In addition, items such as flashlights, mini gas stoves, and plastic bags also have a sharp increase in purchases.

Vegetable stalls are always crowded with customers. Photo: PHAM NGA

The purchasing power of green vegetables at Hoa Khanh market has increased many times. Photo: PHAM NGA

According to Ms. Nguyen Kim Thuong (a merchant at Hoa Khanh market), from yesterday until now, the number of customers has increased sharply, most of them buying dried food when hearing that storm No. 12 will make landfall and cause heavy rain in Da Nang .

“Not only dried food but also at meat counters, people lined up to buy from 5am. Everyone was afraid that when the storm hit, it would cause power outages and flooding that would affect daily life,” said Ms. Thuong.

Some roads around the market experienced local congestion. Photo: PHAM NGA

Ms. Huynh Thi Trang (residing in Thanh Khe ward) said, hearing that storm No. 12 would cause heavy rain in the coming days, she took the opportunity to go to the market to buy some vegetables and meat in case of flooding. "Usually after a storm, vegetable prices will increase so many people also jostle to buy them to stock up. Even though I went very early, I still had to queue and wait quite a long time to buy the necessary necessities," Ms. Trang shared.

Not only in traditional markets, but also in convenience stores, department stores, and mini supermarkets, the stalls were quickly cleared out by the sudden increase in the number of buyers.

At Bach Hoa Xanh supermarket on Nguyen Thi Dinh street (An Hai ward), meat, vegetable and seafood counters are the priority choices of people. Staff continuously replenish goods from the warehouse, but many items still cannot meet the increased shopping demand.

Vegetable stalls are the preferred choice of people. Photo: XUAN QUYNH

Staff continuously replenish goods. Photo: XUAN QUYNH

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tu Trinh (born in 1994, temporarily residing in An Hai ward) shared that after each flood, the price of vegetables and meat often increases and becomes scarce. Hearing the city's recommendation for people to proactively stock up, Ms. Trinh bought dry foods such as instant noodles and canned meat for 4 days, and fresh foods for 3 days. She and her husband took turns lining up to pay quickly, but still had to wait quite a long time because the crowd was getting bigger and bigger.

The line of people waiting to pay is getting longer and longer. Photo: XUAN QUYNH

At An Hai Bac market (An Hai ward), the shopping atmosphere has also become bustling. Mrs. Tran Thi Hoa (born in 1976, resident of An Hai ward) said that the prices of some items have increased significantly. "I have several children at home, so I try to buy some more vegetables in case the prices increase," Mrs. Hoa shared.

Crowds of people come to food stalls at An Hai Bac market. Photo: XUAN QUYNH

Similarly, Ms. Thanh Thuy (28 years old, An Hai ward) said that she had to get up at 4 am to go to the market. “Last night, I went to several supermarkets but the food was all gone. This morning, I went early to buy fish, meat, and vegetables. I didn’t expect that there would be many people going to the market early like me,” Ms. Thuy said.

Mr. Le Quang Thanh, Deputy Director of Co.opmart Da Nang Supermarket, said that on October 21 and the morning of October 22, the number of customers coming to Co.opmart doubled compared to normal days. Before that, the supermarket proactively stocked up on goods, especially dry goods such as instant noodles, cooking oil, essential foods... to meet the increased demand of people during the rainy season. Particularly, fresh goods such as vegetables and fruits were increased from supply areas such as Hoi An and Quy Nhon, the amount of imported goods was 5 times higher than normal days.

The number of customers coming to Co.opmart doubled compared to normal days. Photo: XUAN QUYNH

People gathered to buy and stockpile items such as instant noodles, drinking water, milk, vegetables, meat, fish... to prepare for the upcoming stormy days.

Despite the strong increase in purchasing power, the supermarket has kept prices stable and has not increased the prices of essential goods. In addition, Co.opmart has also launched many attractive promotional programs for products such as instant noodles, cooking oil, etc. to help people shop with peace of mind and cope with storms.

Meanwhile, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Tuan, Head of Hoa Cuong Wholesale Market Management Board, said that on the morning of October 22, the amount of vegetables and tubers arriving at the market was about 250 tons, equivalent to normal days. The price of vegetables and tubers increased slightly by about 2,000 VND/kg depending on the type. At supermarkets, it was noted that in the afternoon and evening of October 21, many people came to buy goods to stock up. By the morning of October 22, the number of people coming to supermarkets to buy decreased compared to October 21, but purchasing power still increased sharply compared to normal days.

XUAN QUYNH

XUAN QUYNH - PHAM NGA

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/da-nang-nguoi-dan-chen-nhau-mua-hang-tich-tru-luong-thuc-truoc-bao-so-12-post819315.html