Sales in cooperative societies down by 25 percent: officials
‘Home delivery service activated for residents’
KUWAIT CITY, April 1: Officials from a number of cooperative societies say the decrease in the daily sales percentage has reached more than 25 percent, reports Al-Anba daily.
They revealed that, in exchange for the calm and the decrease in the number of visitors to the central markets, the daily sale figures in cooperative societies have a surprising word, especially in those cooperative societies that were singing that they receive visitors from all over the country.
On the other hand, the work equation in the cooperative sector has changed, as some cooperative societies have lately been imposing additional burdens on their workers and forcing them to catch up – as they race against time – with their counterparts who have preceded them in the field of “electronic marketing” and home delivery. They even mastered adding other services to ensure comfort and safety of their shoppers in order to appear more superior in front of them. The cooperative societies feel compelled to reduce the purchases of their customers, and not allow large groups of shoppers under the roof of their central markets.
Monitored
The daily monitored some of these variables, which can be read clearly through the movement of work in the societies.
Initially, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Mubarak Al-Kabeer Cooperative Society and Qurain Cooperative Society Hamad Al-Gharyafi explained that the home delivery service has been activated for residents of the region as a whole without limiting it only to shareholders. Therefore, it is the right of any citizen or resident to benefit from this service. However, the cooperative society suffers from lack of security permits. Therefore, Ministry of Interior is requested to increase the number of permits due to the high population density so that the cooperative societies can meet all the delivery requests from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm.
Regarding the ongoing onion crisis and quotas allocated to cooperative societies, he said, “The concerned authorities must take into account the number of shareholders that vary from one cooperative society to another. Mubarak Al-Kabeer and Al-Qurain regions have an excess of 14,000 shareholders in them. This requires an increase in the share. Also, onions are available according to daily auction, and each cooperative society has a specific share. We buy from the auction the share prescribed to us. The rest of the local and imported vegetables and fruits varieties are available, as the association’s strategic stock is solid and sufficient for more than six months. We assure our valued shareholders that all goods are in stores and on shelves”.
Failed
Al-Gharyafi affirmed, “The people of the region have not failed in their voluntary work with the cooperative societies by serving the shareholders and people of the region. They respond tirelessly and without boredom, and with commitment to the directives. We thank them and the charity associations, headed by Al-Baghli Foundation, for supporting us with volunteer teams. The same goes for the Fingerprint of Good Intentions Society that volunteered to sterilize the central markets, administration and stores for free”.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sabah AlSalem Cooperative Society Fahad Al-Azmi said, “The cooperative society has allocated cars for providing nursing services to the people in the region who suffer from chronic diseases and the elderly so that they do not have to visit the clinics. We take a nurse from the dispensary home to the homes of the patients and the elderly. This has been well appreciated by the people of the region. The home delivery service of medicines from Mubarak Hospital and health centers of the region was launched with the cooperation of Kuwait Fire Service Directorate”.
He went on to say, “The association also shined in serving the shareholders by providing a free basket of dairy products and derivatives free of charge on a weekly basis from the Kuwaiti Dairy Company (KDCow), which is a local company that provides fresh products. It has a great reputation and acceptance among the children of Kuwait. The home delivery service was launched during the curfew and will be from 6 pm to 12 am. The items allowed to be purchased during the curfew period include milk and its derivatives, rice, pasta, baked goods, baby supplies, tissue paper, water, sugar, salt, detergents, vegetables and fruits in cartons, with commitment to quantities for the main items at a maximum of three pieces of each item”.
Al-Azmi indicated that requests are delivered after they are provided with the address, box number, phone number and items in detail as well as the requirement that the bill amount should be a minimum of KD 10, and payment is made only by KNet.
He stressed that the customers of the cooperative society should be reassured due to the keenness of the latter for their safety, adding that they sterilize gas cylinders periodically, and some workers are being trained to operate AlTannour bakeries when needed.