Form Buying Groups to Import Basics - CCZ

This is what we have to do. I have not been into a Zimbabwe Supermarket - except to view the chaos for months!
The Herald
Published by the government of Zimbabwe
30 December 2008
Harare - THE Consumer Council of Zimbabwe has advised consumers to form groups and send members to South Africa to buy basic commodities there to counter exorbitant pricing by retailers in the country.CCZ executive director Ms Rosemary Siyachitema said people could buy more and save by going to South Africa where the products are cheaper."We keep on encouraging people to buy in groups," she said. "People need to stretch their money to the utmost. They should go where they can stretch it," she added.Most retail shops in towns as well as small grocery shops in high density suburbs and rural areas are selling goods in foreign currency and are refusing to accept the Zimbabwe dollar.Although the Government issued licenses to selected shops to sell in foreign currency, the rest are doing it without the licences.Small traders, including vegetable vendors, have also joined the bandwagon, making life difficult for the ordinary person who does not have access to foreign currency.Ms Siyachitema said the CCZ continued to appeal to retailers to reduce prices and put reasonable marks-up on imported goods.Last month the CCZ compiled a foreign currency basket which showed shocking differences between prices of goods in South Africa and Zimbabwe.According to the CCZ basket, a family of six required 80 rands per month to purchase goods in South Africa compared to 290 rands in Zimbabwe.Ms Siyachitema noted that by forming groups and sending one member, people would reduce costs of travelling to South Africa.
She noted that studies had shown that it was cheaper to buy as a group than buying repackaged goods."It works out to be cheaper. People should not buy from third parties," said Siyachitema.Before dollarisation of the economy, the concept of consumer clubs had spread in the cities with the CCZ assisting the groups to buy in bulk from producers.--New Ziana.