Because of the sluggish economy, customers have tightened their budgets and have seen luxury brands as less indispensable.
In Hanoi , many essential commodities such as fish sauce anddetergent are sold 5,000-15,000 VND cheaper online and in mini-martsthan in big supermarkets. The customers enjoy even more discounts ifthey buy a large volume.
At big supermarkets inHanoi such as Minh Hoa, Intimex and Fivimart, pressures from rentalprices, labour costs and many other expenses have caused prices toincrease, more than in mini-supermarkets and small grocery stores.
For household appliances, consumers have been buying online more frequently.
Hoang Thinh, a customer from Ho Chi Minh City ’s District 3, saidthat he bought a new camera in a retail shop in District 1's NguyenHue Street and a refrigerator on an online website.
He said the prices were more competitive online, sometimes hundreds ofthousands of dong cheaper than similar ones in supermarkets.
Nguyen Minh Thu, deputy general director of Thien Hoa Furniture andElectronics Centre, said that online sellers have less to worry aboutthan brick-and-mortar shops because they do not have to pay rentals,salaries for many salespeople and electricity fees.
Thu said, however, that consumers should only buy from reputable online sites.
Many shopping centres and supermarkets in HCM City have beenoffering discounts of 20-30 percent, but they have not attractedcustomers.
Diamond, Vincom, Parkson and ZenPlaza are all quiet. Many customers come just for window shopping,eating and drinking and theatre-going.
Likewise,Vincom, Trang Tien Plaza and Parkson in Hanoi have fewcustomers despite deep discounts of 50-70 percent offered by most majorbrands.
Big electronics and household appliancecentres are also falling into a "crisis" situation, including NguyenKim, Vien Thong A, Cho Lon, and Pico Plaza .
Many household appliance centres have reduced their inventory or have moved to suburban areas to cut down on expenses.
For instance, Nguyen Kim and Media Mart Electronics centres in Hanoihad to look to open a branch in Ha Dong District instead of Hoan KiemDistrict in the city centre.
In addition, nearly 15,000sq.m in Grand Plaza trade centre in Hanoi is empty because there are no renters.-VNA