TPO - Despite launching many promotional tricks for moon cakes such as buy 1 get 3, get 4; attracting customers with cheap cakes... but many stalls operating in markets and sidewalks in Ho Chi Minh City are still deserted and unsold.
At noon on September 14, on many streets in Ho Chi Minh City such as Quang Trung (Go Vap District), Hung Vuong (District 5), Nguyen Van Cu (District 1)... moon cake stalls all hung up promotional and discount signs. Specifically, customers buying 1 box will get 4 boxes; buying 1 cake will get 3-4 more cakes; 20,000 VND/moon cake...
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Moon cakes are on sale but there are few customers |
At a cake stall on Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street (District 5), an employee offered to buy moon cakes with roasted chicken, shark fin, and mixed char siu fillings for VND285,000/250 gram piece. "When you buy one cake, we will give you 3 more cakes of the same or different types but equivalent to the price" - the employee said.
When we asked if the sale was profitable, the employee smiled and said that the sale was a break-even point, not much profit. According to this person, even though the price was discounted to the maximum, the number of customers coming to buy was very gloomy.
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A sidewalk mooncake stall hangs a sign saying buy 1 get 4, but the cakes cost nearly 300,000 VND/piece. |
“There are only a few days left until the Mid-Autumn Festival, so we are offering huge discounts to sell out our products. However, the number of customers coming to buy is very low. Due to the recent Typhoon Yagi, many places have postponed the Mid-Autumn Festival, so customers are not coming to buy cakes in large quantities like before. Even some regular customers who had contacted us to buy cakes before have canceled their orders at the last minute,” said Mr. Binh, the owner of a moon cake stall on Cong Quynh Street (District 1).
Meanwhile, many customers said that despite the discounts and promotions, these sidewalk mooncake shops do not sell the real prices. According to Ms. Minh, a 250-gram roasted chicken mooncake cannot cost up to VND285,000/cake. If you buy one cake and get three more, a box of four cakes will cost VND285,000.
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Moon cakes 20,000 - 25,000 VND are small cakes, only about 100 grams |
“Normally, I go to the supermarket and choose a box of cakes with a reputable brand, the price is only about 250,000 - 260,000 VND/4 pieces. This price is not yet on sale, if the supermarket has a promotion, it will be even cheaper. If comparing the price with the sidewalk stalls, the promotion at these stalls, in my opinion, is just a way to stimulate consumers to buy 1 and get 4 more, but in fact there is no discount, the price is still high” – Ms. Minh said.
When he saw a moon cake stall on Pham Van Dong Street (Thu Duc City) with a price tag of only 20,000 - 25,000 VND/cake, Mr. Thanh Binh (29 years old, office worker) immediately stopped his motorbike to buy one. However, he realized that this was a small cake weighing only 100 grams. The cake only had flour and a little bean filling.
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Moon cakes are still abundant even though it's almost Mid-Autumn Festival. |
In traditional markets, moon cakes are also sold by vendors at very cheap prices, from 25,000 to 55,000 VND/piece. However, most of the cakes have strange brands, or only have the words moon cake printed on the plastic packaging. Many of them are also "3 no" cakes: no label, no brand, no production date, no expiration date...
Selling moon cakes next to a tray of dried fish on the side of Ho Trong Quy market (District 6), the vendor said that these cakes are very delicious, ensuring quality and food safety because they do not use additives or preservatives...
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At traditional markets, moon cakes are sold with dried fish, fish sauce... |
“Some customers order dozens of boxes at once as gifts. If you buy 4, I will give you a luxury box. I only have a small quantity left to sell retail because it is almost Mid-Autumn Festival, so please buy it quickly. I only sell this cake once a year,” the vendor said enthusiastically.
Moon cakes in traditional markets are not only found at candy stalls but are also sold together with vegetables, seafood, etc. The cakes cost from 40,000 to 50,000 VND each. If you bargain, you can get a discount of about 5,000 VND.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Market Management Department, in recent years, the moon cake market in Ho Chi Minh City has been very diverse in types, eye-catching designs, reasonable prices, imported through official channels, unofficial channels and produced by individuals by hand, favored by many consumers.
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"3 no" mooncakes are sold together with vegetables at traditional markets. |
Identifying food safety risks for these types of moon cakes, the Ho Chi Minh City Market Management Department has directed teams to strengthen local management to promptly detect and strictly handle violations.
The Department of Food Safety of Ho Chi Minh City also coordinated with departments, People's Committees of districts and Thu Duc City to strengthen food safety work during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Source: https://tienphong.vn/banh-trung-thu-gan-300000-dongcai-nhung-mua-1-tang-3-post1673141.tpo
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