The month of September, designated a special promotional sales period, has begun very well with customers flocking in the thousands to supermarkets, trade centres and fairs in Ho Chi Minh City.

The rush was particularly evident on National Day (September 2) as long queues of customers waited to buy promotional products at these events.

On the morning of September 2, thousands of customers braved the hot weather to gather at the Phu Tho Indoor Stadium to buy goods at a fair.

The fair had nearly 360 booths showcasing a range of products including clothes, shoes, foods, and electronic products.

Thanh Tung of Tan Binh district said that this year, he had spent the whole of the Independence Day holiday on shopping at the fair instead of travelling as usual. He said he was motivated to do so by the range of items and the 30-50 per cent discounts offered.

A staff member of Ba Huan Ltd Co said their company booth was overcrowded with customers buying eggs and rice because of the promotion. The Vissan foodstuff booth also attracted significant numbers of people.

Supermarkets and trade centres have also proved popular holiday destinations for families not having ideal conditions for traveling. In fact, some supermarkets have seen an overload of customers on these days.

A representative of the Maximark supermarket chain said fresh and processed foodstuff as well as consumer goods were selling well at discounted price.

Nguyen Tri Kien, director of Minh Tien Handbag Joint Stock Company, said that in the current situation of high inflation that was forcing customers to tighten their spending, businesses would not be able to sell products without offering discounts.

Firms were cutting down on expenses for advertising and brand building, he said, adding they were offering many promotional programmes to lower prices for customers instead.

The largest discounts were being offered for textiles and garments as well as electrical and electronic appliances.

Nguyen Minh Thu, deputy general director of Thien Hoa Home Appliances and Furniture Centre, said they had received a good response to their promotional offers including freebies and discounted prices./.