Demand that basic commodities be made available at reduced prices
Consumers: Outlets use «Ramadan baskets» to exchange their brands and increase sales of luxury goods
Offering discounts to allow freedom of choice is more feasible for consumers than identifying and imposing certain goods within the "basket". Emirates Today
Suhail Bastaki: "The (open baskets) policies, which allow different offers for discounted goods, are more popular with consumers."
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Consumers told Emirates Today: "A large number of Ramadan baskets offered in some outlets focus on luxury goods or brands of those outlets," pointing out that this reduces the objectives and benefits for which the baskets were offered, as they are supposed to provide basic goods needed by the consumer at reduced prices during the Ramadan.
They explained that «Ramadan baskets have become in a number of outlets a means of exchange for private brands, or to increase the sales of luxury goods that the consumer does not need under the name of (Ramadan baskets offers)».
For their part, two officials in two sales outlets said: «The Ramadan baskets are not subject to certain standards, but vary according to the marketing policies of each outlet, pointing out that the introduction of baskets came as a kind of options that consumers can benefit from in donation operations, and charity works during the blessed month of Ramadan.
They added that "open baskets" policies, which offer different offers for discounted goods, are more popular with consumers.
Consumer Reviews
Consumer Tamer Salah said that «most of the Ramadan baskets offered in some outlets, focus on the brands of those outlets, and thus impose specific goods on consumers for the purpose of discharging and increasing sales», pointing out that many brands of outlets are sold at low prices mainly, and a large number of them are of medium or lower quality than other brands.
He added that «the launch of outlets selling Ramadan baskets at reduced prices, is supposed to be useful to consumers during the month of Ramadan».
For his part, consumer Akram Hassan said that «the imposition of most outlets for goods bearing their own brands in Ramadan baskets, reduces the feasibility of those baskets, and aims only to attract consumers, and increase sales under the slogan of discount offers, through Ramadan baskets that originally aim to collect a number of goods of interest to consumers in Ramadan at low prices».
Consumer Ahmed Fouad agreed that a large number of Ramadan baskets offered in the markets during the recent period, included brands for sales outlets, in addition to luxury goods or goods that are not of great importance to the consumer, pointing out that the contents of some baskets include goods such as: oats, canned coffee creamer «evaporated milk», chickpea packages, or jelly candy.
In the same context, consumer Youssef Abdel Samie said that «Ramadan baskets have become in a number of outlets a way to exchange private brands that bear their name, or to increase sales of luxury goods under the name (Ramadan basket offers».
"If the prices of some of these products are counted in regular offers, they will be lower than the price offered in baskets, which range between 100 and 290 dirhams.
Discount Offers
In addition, the Director of Marketing and Happiness Department at Union Coop, Dr. Suhail Al Bastaki, said that «offering price discount offers in general, in order to allow consumers the freedom to choose in the composition of their Ramadan basket among the discount offers, is more feasible for consumers than identifying and imposing certain goods on them within the (basket) that may suit the needs of families or not».
He stressed that the policies of "open baskets" that offer different offers for discounted goods are more popular with consumers.
Marketing Policies
For his part, the sales manager of the retail outlets, Mohammed Mansour, said that «Ramadan baskets are not subject to certain criteria, but vary according to the marketing policies of each outlet, and are due to the initiatives offered by the outlets during the month of Ramadan, which include other discount offers, allowing consumers to choose between the alternatives offered».
He added that «sales outlets offer baskets, as a kind of options that consumers can benefit from in donations and charity during the holy month of Ramadan».
Sea: Extended discounts are more feasible for consumers
Ibrahim Al-Bahar, a retail expert and president of Al-Bahar Consulting, said that "the outlets focus on the exchange and marketing of their own brands, which most of the time carry the names of the outlets, as these products provide higher profit margins than other goods bearing famous brands."
He explained that «privately branded products are the monopoly of every outlet that offers them, and therefore, competition is limited, and provides quality rates in varying proportions, and therefore, the discharge of these products and the expansion of their offering captures the attention of the departments of sales outlets».
Al-Bahar believed that «extended discount offers, which include appropriate discount rates, are more feasible for consumers than limited to goods with limited discount rates, and to imposed or specific goods».
An official at a sales outlet: "(The baskets) are not subject to certain criteria, and offering them is an option for donations and charity."