Prices of some back-to-school items high: CPA

The Consumer Protection Authority (CPA) has admitted that prices of some ‘back-to-school’ items in the market were high owing to many reasons.

“Prices of some items are high,” said Sulayem bin Salim al Hakmani, Chairman of the CPA.

This surge in prices of some items, according to him, is due to the hike in transportation that many of the sourcing countries are imposing owing to fuel price hike and demurrage, and the like.

“This hike in some items required for ‘back to school’ is due to the increased charges of transportation and allied expenses in bringing them from different countries,” Al Hakmani said.

There have been complaints from parents that retailers are charging high just as the new school year is about to begin. Social media was abuzz with the messages that the high prices of stationery and school supplies should be controlled and demanded that the Consumer Protection Authority should intervene.

“Items required for school are priced high and it’s gone nearly double for many items compared to pre-corona rates,” a parent said.

However, the Consumer Protection Authority (CPA) has said the prices of school essentials are continuously being monitored and any unjustifiable price hike of any product will be taken seriously.

“We are constantly monitoring the prices of essentials and any undue price hike is taken into account.”

There has been a high demand for children’s stationery, paper products and the like as schools went gradually full-fledged after two academic years of online classes this year.

Leading suppliers of stationery, school bags and other items too have their own side of the story where they have to pay three times freight charges and other expenses to get some items from the supplying countries to the Sultanate of Oman.

“The price hike in some items is due to the huge increase on freight charges,” said Zubair Mahin of al Raja’a Global Supply Company Associated Limited, a leading supplier of school materials in the country.

“The normal freight charges of a 40-feet container used to be $900 to $1,000 maximum whereas we paid up to $9,700 to bring school materials needed for back to school. However, there’s reason for hope as the freight is dropping down now and touched like $4,000 approximately,” he added.

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