Call For Action On Cheating Traders
Hadi DP Mahmud

Bandar Seri Begawan - Retailers beware. Consumers are calling on the government to take punitive action against retailers who dupe shoppers with bogus prices during the Brunei Grand Sale.

Many Bruneians have observed that some retailers replace price tags to reflect jacked-up prices that are the basis to compute discounts. This gives shoppers the false impression they are getting a good bargain.

This is cheating and those found doing this should be fined accordingly, said Irene Wong Ai Ling, a school teacher.

She said a list of these cheating companies should. be compiled as this would help the authorities in their investigations.

"These shops should be given a little scare, which I think should be in the form of a fine," said Dayana Usop, a 21-year-old credit card maintenance officer.

Consumers also said more needs to be done to make the Brunei Grand Sale a real success, otherwise local retailers would .not be able to persuade Bruneians to forego their shopping trips to neighbouring countries where retail giants don't think twice about slashing prices on any given sale season.

"In Brunei I feel that the Grand Sale is not `grand' enough," said Liyana Usop, a bank employee.."Say, if you go to a Singaporean or a Malaysian Grand Sale, you'd expect the goods, old or new, to have the prices slashed down to a real `sale' price. In Brunei it doesn't feel much like a sale."

Aware of this, Ms Ai Ling and sister Michelle Wong Ai Chia are still willing to cross the border or fly to neighbouring countries to shop despite the ongoing Brunei Grand Sale.

The sisters claimed that most discounts only applied on old stocks.

Ms Ai Ling said her foreign friends who were around recently were not impressed with the Brunei Grand Sale.

Eighteen-year-old Mohd Shafee bin Mohd Said said that products sold at stores participating in the Brunei Grand Sale were still overpriced.

"The variety of products are disappointing compared to Singapore or Malaysia. Sometimes the products on display are outdated too," he added.

He said that a consumer's hotline or a blog should be set up to help report retail outlets guilty of overpricing. -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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