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Petty merchants in border markets in “down” time
‘Big sale’ boards can be seen at every kiosk at Tan Thanh border gate market in Lang Son province, but they cannot attract buyers.
At 3 pm, while the sun was still shining, a lot of petty merchants at the Tan Thanh border gate market began tidying up their shops to finish the business day. They did not expect to have more buyers that day.
Hundreds of sellers, few buyers
‘Big sale’ boards can be seen at every kiosk at Tan Thanh border gate market in Lang Son province, but they cannot attract buyers.
The slow sales period, several months old now, has made many petty merchants suffer. Though the merchants still display commodities for sale every morning, they do not have much work to do, because there are not many buyers, and the sellers spend most of their time sitting and chatting with one another.
The owner of a kiosk at the market said that as retailers in the lowland cannot sell goods, wholesalers like him also cannot sell merchandise.
Petty merchants are fed up of the slow sales. Many have decided to shift to other business.
The owner of a shop at Tan Thanh Market said that in previous years, early summer was always the high sales season. Electronic goods, electric pans, summer clothes and water stream pans all sold very well. Retailers in the lowland had to place orders one or two months in advance so they would have enough goods for sale in the summer.
However, Tan Thanh has not seen retailers from the lowland coming to place orders yet, though a lot of new kinds of products are waiting for them.
Local residents hope that the 7,500 billion worth of projects in which enterprises have committed to invest in the Dong Dang border gate economic zone will help light up the gloom.
Tourists just looking
The number of tourists going to the Thanh border gate has decreased dramatically in the economic downturn period.
Some groups of visitors were seen dropping into Tan Thanh market. However, only a few of them bought something, while others just looked and left.
At 4.30 pm, the lift at the central market stopped operating. The parking area of the market was nearly empty. The people who transport purchases for people were loitering in tea shops with no goods to deliver.
Nguyen Van Duc, a customs officer at Tan Thanh border gate, related that the porters at Tan Thanh market have been virtually jobless for the past month because of no buyers.
Hai Kien
vietnamner
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