Consumerism reigns

We used to have one big trade fair, held at Naxxar. Now we are having two.

People defy the searing heat and flock to see and gawp and to buy.

In the case of the Ta’ Qali one, one is tempted to call it the Italian-Maltese Trade Fair, such is the amount of Italians manning the stalls and selling. There used to be a smattering of Italians, actually Sicilians, selling in the past years, but business now seems to have exploded such is the number of Italians selling. Some even drive down in caravans and sleep in them when the trade fair is closed.

Even shops and outlets that do not take part in the trade fairs put up special promotions and special ‘Trade fair prices’.

And people buy as if there’s no tomorrow. Fans used to be the big thing considering the heat. Now it’s air-conditioning units that fly off the shelf as if they were pastizzi.

A fair amount of the recent spurt in GDP was home-produced, kick-started with a consumer

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surge as people found they had more money in their pockets as a result of lower water and electricity rates.

We used to hear loud complaints from the Chamber of Commerce about all these Italians coming off the catamaran and selling to the Maltese with no eco-taxes to bother about. Strangely, these voices have grown silent of late but the Italians still flock in.

And the Maltese still flock to buy. Some even go to buy in Sicily where, they say, everything is cheaper than in Malta. And we have not mentioned the third stream – purchasing through the Internet and getting things really, but really, cheaper.

For all this abundance, however, some things are still lacking. Such as proper consumer defence. Some sellers literally get away with murder. The same goes for aftersale care. It may be that the law needs to be beefed up. Most probably, however, what needs beefing up is the enforcement, as in so many other areas.

There used to be a regular press release by the medical authorities naming and shaming outlets which had broken the law regarding hygiene. Strangely, they have stopped issuing this press release.

Recently, after a very long period, the Consumer Protection Department issued a press release naming and shaming an outlet which was neglectful in its treatment of a consumer, to the extent it did not even attend meetings to solve the problem. Maybe the appointment of a keen new parliamentary secretary can improve matters here.

One final consideration: any consumer spurt must be somehow paid for with an improved productivity. Otherwise it will negatively impact on the balance of payments. Sooner or later, what goes up must come down. So far, we are not seeing any dramatic improvement in productivity and this ill bodes for the future. Sooner or later, we must pay for what we buy.