DITF visitors become hostage at ‘discount trap’
Badrul Ahsan :
Thousands of people visiting Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF) 2016 have become hostage of traders’ ‘discount trap’.
Almost all the pavilions and stall owners of the annual trade carnival have announced various types of stocky discounts, free offers, lucky coupons and many more to attract customers.
Many traders have declared different package offer like ‘buy one get ten free’ and some others have offered up to 70 per cent of cash discounts along with attractive prizes in weekly draws of lucky coupon.
But even after the huge presence of discounts and free offers, many visitors were looking disappointed due to high price of goods being charged at the fair.
They said that the prices of the products on discounts are much higher than that of the same items in different markets of the city.
Along with higher prices, they also expressed their dismay over the low quality of goods being displayed in the fair and claimed that the stall owners were misleading the customers in the name of discount.
“People like us come to such exhibitions to pickup the best bargain of products. But in fact, the traders are making us to spend too (Picture on back page)
much in the name of discounts,” Abida Ferdous, a visitor at the fair, told The New Nation on Friday.
“Some stall owners are charging exorbitant prices from the customers, even for low quality and substandard items. They announce discounts after poaching inflated prices of the discounted items,” Munima Sultana, another visitor at the fair said.
“Being a member of middle-income group of people, I have come here to avail the benefit of competition, but prices of majority products on display are seems to be higher than those in different markets of the city,” said Ahsan Habib, a private jobholder.
“Stall owners also push date expired and tempered goods to the customers during the huge rush of visitors. Such incident happened with me,” he claimed.
Stall owners, however, denied such claims, saying they are offering discount on the best quality products due to intense competition.
Meanwhile, visiting to different markets of the city, this reporter found that a micro-oven being sold in the city’s New Market at Tk 6,500 were being offered in the DITF at Tk 9,800 with ‘buy one and get ten free’ offer.
Besides, one piece Pakistani ‘kamiz’ was being sold at Tk 1,600 with a stocky cash discount in the fair whereas the same variety was found being sold at Tk 1,300 at Gawsia market in the city.
Similarly, in many cases, from household items to dresses and food items were also found selling at comparatively cheaper prices in different city markets than those were being sold in the DITF.
However, replying to a query, a high official of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection under the Ministry of Commerce preferring anonymity said the department knows about the unholy activities of the traders but did not take any action due to strong political connection of the participants.
“It is not possible for us to take action against the unholy activists as because of their strong political connections. Besides, we did not receive any formal complains yet from the consumers,” he said.
However, the Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF) 2016 drew a large number of visitors on Friday, the third weekly holiday since its inauguration.
According to organisers, tens of thousands of people visited the exhibition on the day.
Stalls selling cosmetics, crockery, plastic products, processed food and home textiles are popular among visitors. The Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) and the Ministry of Commerce are jointly organising the mega event at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the capital that will continue until January 31.
Thousands of people visiting Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF) 2016 have become hostage of traders’ ‘discount trap’.
Almost all the pavilions and stall owners of the annual trade carnival have announced various types of stocky discounts, free offers, lucky coupons and many more to attract customers.
Many traders have declared different package offer like ‘buy one get ten free’ and some others have offered up to 70 per cent of cash discounts along with attractive prizes in weekly draws of lucky coupon.
But even after the huge presence of discounts and free offers, many visitors were looking disappointed due to high price of goods being charged at the fair.
They said that the prices of the products on discounts are much higher than that of the same items in different markets of the city.
Along with higher prices, they also expressed their dismay over the low quality of goods being displayed in the fair and claimed that the stall owners were misleading the customers in the name of discount.
“People like us come to such exhibitions to pickup the best bargain of products. But in fact, the traders are making us to spend too (Picture on back page)
much in the name of discounts,” Abida Ferdous, a visitor at the fair, told The New Nation on Friday.
“Some stall owners are charging exorbitant prices from the customers, even for low quality and substandard items. They announce discounts after poaching inflated prices of the discounted items,” Munima Sultana, another visitor at the fair said.
“Being a member of middle-income group of people, I have come here to avail the benefit of competition, but prices of majority products on display are seems to be higher than those in different markets of the city,” said Ahsan Habib, a private jobholder.
“Stall owners also push date expired and tempered goods to the customers during the huge rush of visitors. Such incident happened with me,” he claimed.
Stall owners, however, denied such claims, saying they are offering discount on the best quality products due to intense competition.
Meanwhile, visiting to different markets of the city, this reporter found that a micro-oven being sold in the city’s New Market at Tk 6,500 were being offered in the DITF at Tk 9,800 with ‘buy one and get ten free’ offer.
Besides, one piece Pakistani ‘kamiz’ was being sold at Tk 1,600 with a stocky cash discount in the fair whereas the same variety was found being sold at Tk 1,300 at Gawsia market in the city.
Similarly, in many cases, from household items to dresses and food items were also found selling at comparatively cheaper prices in different city markets than those were being sold in the DITF.
However, replying to a query, a high official of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection under the Ministry of Commerce preferring anonymity said the department knows about the unholy activities of the traders but did not take any action due to strong political connection of the participants.
“It is not possible for us to take action against the unholy activists as because of their strong political connections. Besides, we did not receive any formal complains yet from the consumers,” he said.
However, the Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF) 2016 drew a large number of visitors on Friday, the third weekly holiday since its inauguration.
According to organisers, tens of thousands of people visited the exhibition on the day.
Stalls selling cosmetics, crockery, plastic products, processed food and home textiles are popular among visitors. The Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) and the Ministry of Commerce are jointly organising the mega event at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the capital that will continue until January 31.