People shop at BigC Thang Long in Hanoi. Video by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh
A large number of customers were seen at 4 p.m. in BigC Thang Long on Tran Duy Hung Road, a popular shopping place in the southwest of Hanoi.
This year, many shops are giving discounts of 30%, and some even offer a “buy one get one free” policy.
Thu Thanh, a resident of Cau Giay District, said that she just received her year-end bonus and only now has time for some holiday shopping.
“Tet is only a week away and therefore I am willing to wait for a little longer at the cashier,” said Thanh, referring to the Vietnamese Lunar New Year celebration which begins on Feb. 8 this year.
At 5 p.m., all 20 checkout stalls were operating non-stop. Customers have to wait 15-20 minutes for their turn.
BigC supermarket has pushed back its closing time by 30 minutes until 10.30 p.m. to serve an increasing number of customers during the holiday season.
At Aeon Mall Ha Dong seven kilometers away, all 30 checkout stalls were filled with customers, who are encouraged to pack the checkout goods themselves to speed up the process.
Other customers decided to spend their time shopping for clothes with large discounts.
The mall will stay open until 6 p.m. Friday, the last day of the Lunar New Year, and will 12 p.m. the next day.
In Ho Chi Minh City, Co.opmart in Thu Duc City saw many waiting at checkouts, all with large orders.
The number of customers started to increase at 10 p.m. by around 30% compared to a normal day, an employee said.
Nguyen Ngoc Thang, director of Co.opmart operations, expects the number of customers to rise by 15-25% year-on-year.
The gift basket is the best-selling item for now, he added.
