Located next to the industrial park, the traditional market is still deserted.

Once " lived well" thanks to the stall

A long-time trader at Sang Trang market, Mrs. Tran Thi Tu - a small trader - said that in the past, business was very good; thanks to this stall, she was able to take care of her family's expenses as well as raise her children.

“My family does not have any fields, so the income to support the whole family and pay for the children's education depends on this stall. In the past, business was very good, customers supported us a lot, my husband and I often went to buy rice and paddy from everywhere to sell. Thanks to that, we had a surplus, and our family life did not have to worry much,” said Mrs. Tu.

However, Ms. Tu shared that since the COVID-19 pandemic, business has become increasingly sluggish, the purchasing power of people, especially workers, has decreased sharply, there are many sellers, but few buyers: "I sell here mainly because workers come home from work to buy. But since the pandemic, workers have less work, unemployment, and income has decreased a lot, so they visit the market less. Therefore, I mostly sell to regular customers, but it is much slower than before."

Located next to an industrial park, the traditional market is still sparsely populated during rush hour. Photo: My Ly

Ms. LMXuyen - also a trader at Sang Trang market - cannot help but feel frustrated as the purchasing power of customers is gradually decreasing. Because in the past, trading helped her have a stable source of income, covering her life: "Before, in addition to the people, I also sold to workers in the industrial park next door. Thanks to that, life also had some money coming in and going out, for family expenses."

However, Ms. Xuyen also understands that slower business is inevitable when the economic situation is difficult, workers' lives are affected, everyone is saving money and limiting shopping.

“Recently, sales have slowed down, and workers’ purchasing power is not as high. Because workers do not work overtime and do not have jobs, they are more frugal. If workers do buy, it is less, not as comfortable as before,” Ms. Xuyen recounted.

Unstable agreement

Not only is she frustrated with the decline in purchasing power and slow sales, Ms. Tu is also facing the escalating prices of goods on the market, especially rice - her main trading item.

“Business is not as good as before, and the fluctuating goods on the market have also caused me difficulties. Besides items such as sugar, eggs, beans, etc., I mainly sell rice here. In the past few months, rice prices have been increasing continuously, so I have had to increase them as well. But with the increase, purchasing power, which was already low, has decreased even more,” Ms. Tu shared.

Therefore, to maintain business and retain customers, especially workers, this small trader only increases prices a little, accepting a lower profit. Because for her, it is difficult to find customers now, and it is even more difficult to sell at a high price and make a lot of profit.

With no customers, the vendors sit and play with their phones. Photo: My Ly — With no customers, vendors sit and play with their phones to kill time. Photo: My Ly

Similarly, the increase in prices and the decrease in consumer purchasing power also affected Ms. Xuyen's income: "Imported goods increased in price, but sales were slow, which greatly affected my income. Because in addition to the capital spent on importing goods, I also had to pay for costs such as lot rental, electricity, water, etc. Depending on the size of the lot, the rental price would range from a few dozen to more than 100,000 VND/day. Therefore, the family's economy became more tight."

Faced with the sluggish situation affecting the economy, many traders in the market hope that market prices and the employment situation of workers will soon stabilize so that business can flourish, especially in the last few months of the year.

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