DTI reminds consumers to be responsible buyers

CEBU, Philippines — As the Christmas season draws near, consumers are reminded to be responsible buyers ahead of the holiday shopping.

Zaide Bation, consumer welfare head at the Department of Trade and Industry-Cebu, said consumers should always check the prices and quality of the products they are buying.

"In buying grocery items, prioritize your needs. Check on the labels, they may contain substances that you are allergic to. And check expiry dates," she told The FREEMAN.

The DTI has already released the suggested retail prices (SRPs) of noche buena products this year.

The trade agency is yet to publish the SRP list this weekend.

Based on earlier reports, there are noche buena items such as ham and cream that have increased in prices while others have also went down.

Noche buena goods include ham, fruit cocktail, cheese, sandwich spread, mayonnaise, queso de bola, pasta/spaghetti, elbow and salad macaroni, spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce and creamer.

DTI said that generally, there are no price increases until December for some noche buena items because competition is at play due to number of brands.

Some manufacturers and retailers even outreach on promotions and discounts because they compete on market share.

Meanwhile, on electronic products such as Christmas decorative lights, the public should ensure these have Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) stickers for imported products and Product Standards (PS) mark for locally produced products for safety assurance.

"Be sure to have a safe Christmas by buying PS or ICC certified Christmas lights," Bation said, also telling the public to be responsible users of these decorative lights.

Consumers are also warned against dubious marketing or promotional sale strategies that lure  people  in buying either  low-quality products  or high-priced products  through sales talks, gimmicks and product giveaways.

Although promotions and discount offers seem appealing, the trade agency reminded buyers to choose wisely.

Consumers are encouraged by the DTI to make use of “e-Presyo” in which consumers, retailers, distributors, and manufacturers can check for the SRPs and prevailing prices of all basic and prime goods being monitored by the DTI including those stores selling at the lowest prices and to be guided in their purchases of Noche Buena products during the Christmas season.