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Many supermarkets said the number of shoppers had increased by two or three times compared to normal days.
They increased stocks of products usually in high demand during holidays such as fruits, vegetables, seafood, meat, semi-processed and ready-to-eat foods, frozen foods, and soft drinks.
Though many also increased the number of check-out counters, the large number of customers meant long queues.
Some supermarkets ran out of fresh foods. A spokesperson for Saigon Co.op said during the New Year holiday, customer numbers at Co.opmart, Co.opXtra and Co.opFood had doubled over normal days as had sales of fresh foods, cosmetics and cleaning products.
Sales of clothing and kitchen appliances had been 30% higher, he said.
Saigon Co.op’s Sense City department stores in Ben Tre, Can Tho and Ca Mau were also crowded, with people coming to watch films, eat and shop for clothing, footwear and cosmetics, especially if there were discounts.
Republic of Korean supermarket chain Lotte Mart said sales had been up 20%, with processed and ready-to-eat foods, soft drinks, fruits and vegetables, and dried foods being the biggest sellers.
Promotions had greatly contributed to the higher sales, it said.
Lotte offered many promotions at its 13 stores nation-wide, including discounts of up to 49% on many leading brands.
Big C supermarkets, which offered discounts, also said sales had increased significantly.
However, traditional markets like Ba Chieu and Thi Nghe in Binh Thanh district, Go Vap in Go Vap district, and Binh Khanh in District 2 said the number of customers had been slightly down compared to normal days.
Traders there said this had been because many people had returned to their hometown or travelled.
Nguyen Thu Nga, a trader at Thị Nghe Market, said prices had remained normal except for some fresh products, whose prices had gone slightly up.
Officials managing wholesale markets said there had been abundant supply during the holiday and so prices had been steady.
