Lack of discounts on “school goods” raises purchase bill by 20%

Many major outlets did not offer discounts on food items related to school consumption, such as cheese, eggs, breakfast cereals, and milk, as well as some non-food items such as sandwich bags, contrary to what was customary in recent years, and despite previous demands from consumers.

A tour by “Emirates Today” in a number of major sales outlets revealed that they ignored offering discounts on these goods, and were content with offering discounts on school supplies such as bags and stationery, in addition to the usual discounts on other goods.

Consumers confirmed to “Emarat Al Youm” that their purchase bills increased by more than 20%, due to the absence of these discounts, and their being forced to buy goods at high prices, especially families that have more than one child in different school stages.

For their part, two retail sector officials said that the outlets preferred to give families enough time to buy basic school supplies after the end of the summer vacations, and that discounts would be offered on school-related goods in the coming weeks.

They explained that food commodity reductions face challenges in light of global increases in the prices of some commodities and supply chains.

Before the start of the school year, “Emirates Today” published a report in which it conveyed consumer demands for sales outlets to offer discounts on goods used daily during the school year by students, especially food items, similar to the discounts offered on school supplies.

Consumer Reviews

In detail, consumer Samer Jaber said: “Several outlets were devoid of discounts on food products related to schools, unlike what was usual in previous years.”

He added: “The discounts were limited to a limited number of vegetables and fruits that are usually offered at discounts to get rid of stock, in addition to the usual discounts on laundry detergents, fabric softeners, household disinfectants, and household appliances.”

Jaber continued: “I was forced to buy school-related goods without discounts, especially cheese, eggs, breakfast cereals, and milk, in addition to non-food items such as sandwich bags, which increased the purchase bill by up to 20%,” calling for discounts on these essential goods during the coming period.

For his part, consumer Hossam Al-Qadi said: “Last year, there were usually discounts on food and non-food items, but many outlets are currently devoid of them, with the exception of discounts on water bottles and some types of vegetables.”

“I looked for offers or discounts in three major outlets near my place of residence, and I also browsed the electronic newsletters issued by some of the outlets, but I did not find any discounts on food items that are frequently used by students, such as milk, dairy products, juices, chicken pieces, large bags of bread, as well as small paper napkins,” he added.

He stressed that the sales outlets were content to offer discounts on the same school supplies that they had offered about a month ago, in addition to some regular goods such as clothing, toilet paper, telephones and televisions, in addition to household appliances such as refrigerators and ovens.

The judge stressed the importance of offering discounts on food items related to schools, indicating that his purchase bill had increased by more than 20%, as a result of the absence of any discounts of this kind, and the purchase of large quantities of goods related to the return to school at high prices.

Consumer Safaa Abdel Salam agreed with him that major outlets generally do not have discounts on food items that are widely consumed during the school season, specifically spreadable cheeses, milk in its various flavours, and some legumes, in addition to supplies used in preparing school meals such as aluminium foil, as well as medium-priced laptops.

“Unfortunately, the outlets were only offering discounts on a few types of vegetables and fruits, sweets and chocolates, which are the types they used to offer frequently, in addition to toothpaste and some expensive electrical appliances such as cameras and laptops, while continuing to offer discounts on the same school supplies that have been on display for a long time,” she said, stressing that her purchase bill had increased by rates ranging between 15 and 20%.

Supply challenges

Meanwhile, Rajiv Tamara, an official at a major retail outlet, said: “Some retail outlets preferred to postpone the discounts to give families enough time to buy essential school supplies after returning from travel and the end of the summer vacations.” Tamara expected that retail outlets would offer discounts on school-related goods in the coming weeks.

Ali Dawood, an official at the outlets, agreed with his counterpart in that the outlets prefer to postpone the discounts, with the aim of giving families enough time to buy basic supplies such as stationery and bags, expecting discounts to be offered on a number of goods related to the back-to-school season soon.

He said: “The reductions in food commodities still face challenges, in light of some global increases in the prices of some commodities, and supply chain problems.”

• Two retail officials confirm that discounts will be offered on school-related goods in the coming weeks.