SHOP EARLY. A store in Antique offers promotional discounts as Christmas draws near. The Department of Trade and Industry - Antique has advised consumers to shop early to avoid the Christmas rush. (PNA photo by Annabel Consuelo J. Petinglay)
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique -- The Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) provincial office is advising consumers to shop early to avoid the Christmas rush.
Glen Fernando, DTI-Antique's trade and development specialist, said in an interview on Wednesday that now is the opportune time for consumers to do their Christmas shopping, considering that many establishments are having promotional sales.
“Yearly, people tend to do their shopping when it is already a few days before Christmas Day or New Year’s Day but then, it would be best if they do it early,” Fernando said.
He said since last week, DTI-Antique has intensified its monitoring of Noche Buena products through weekly visits of establishments to check if they adhere to the Suggested Retail Price (SRP) and if they have enough supplies.
“So far, we have monitored the stores’ strict adherence to the Suggested Retail Price,” Fernando said.
The DTI personnel also monitor if the Christmas lights being sold are certified brands.
“Christmas lights that are considered certified bear the Philippine Standard (PS) Mark and the Import Commodity Clearance sticker,” Fernando said.
The PS mark is proof that the product has passed the Bureau of Product Standard inspection.
“So far last week, DTI personnel have monitored 11 establishments in San Jose de Buenavista,” he said.
He also said the Negosyo Counselors in the different municipalities help DTI personnel monitor the stores. (PNA)
