“No-Money” syndrome hits market women in Accra

The “no-money” syndrome on the lips of most traders in the city of Accra seemed to have created a very low expectation for celebration of this year’s Christmas festivities when the Ghana News Agency interviewed them on Tuesday.

Mrs Patricia Amoateng, a trader at Makola Market in Accra, said she operated a Mother Care Shop and last year’s Christmas was better in terms of sales.

She said “Last year around this time my shop was empty, making customers to demand more products.”

Mrs Amoateng pointed out that the prices for last year were still maintained due to the complaints from customers of “no money” but there were low sales.

“I cannot reduce the prices to the extent of not making profit because I may open my shop for a week and might not sell anything,” she added.

Mrs Hanna Lamptey, another trader expressed frustration in low patronage of her goods as compared to last year.

She said, “Last year, I brought a full truck load of tomatoes from the Upper East Region which I sold all but this year, I brought the same quantity but the market is dull as everybody is complaining of no money”.

A visit by GNA to the A and B Gift shop in the Central Business District indicated that Christmas cards and gift items had recorded very low patronage as well as compared to last year.

Mr Kwame Osei, Sales Executive noted that customers only came to do window-shopping but not to buy, adding “window shopping only encourages me, with the hope that as more people come to do window-shopping someone will by all means buy and item.”

He said unlike 2009 and 2010, “I was smiling every morning till evening but have not seen anything of that sort this year”.

Mr Osei said last year, co-operate bodies were targeted and they made purchases but this year, only one co-operate body purchased cards from my shop which represents five per cent of last year co-operate sales.

“I still believe that they are yet to come or else this is going to be a bad Christmas season for me,” he added.

Mr Akwasi Sarpong, Sales Executive of Minute Maid (Drinks Depot) in the Central Business District attributed the low sales of their products to the high cost of their raw materials that were imported into the country.

He said most of the materials used in manufacturing the drinks were imported and taxes at the port and other manufacturing difficulties such as labour and transport affected the cost of their products.

In an interview with Mr Edward Baani, one of the window shoppers, he complained that his children had been disturbing him for Christmas offers but he did not have any option than to go onto the market to do window shopping and plan his salary against buying something for his children.

He said, children mostly wanted to look different from adults in a celebration like Chritsmas and parents must show care and love for their children.

Source: GNA