The Sunday Mail
AN elderly lady shook her head in disbelief before dejectedly leaving the supermarket carrying her hands on her back like a mourner shaken by the demise of a loved one.
All she wanted was a loaf of bread and a few provisions to cater for her orphaned grandchildren.
Those who saw the elderly lady leave the supermarket could not help but shed tears as she faded from their view with distance.
Sadly, such has become the state of affairs in supermarkets, where ordinary people have virtually been priced out.
The cost of goods and services has risen sharply, with some unscrupulous businesspeople effecting changes in prices for some products at least thrice a day.
Fierce is the word that aptly describes just how evil and heartless some businesspeople have become.
“Pakaipa, mwana wababa. Things have just gone haywire, with some people cashing in on the volatility in the foreign exchange market to pile misery on unsuspecting people. Mahwani,” I heard people saying during a lunch break.
“What is happening in the supermarkets is worse than murder. We are being priced out every day. There is need to control these people somehow so that they appreciate that they have a role to serve the populace and not pile misery on them.
Things are getting bad by the day.
Hatidi mutambiro iwoyo,” a woman who sells carrier bags outside a city supermarket told this writer.
She decried that business had also gone down for her as people were no longer shopping that much.
“We have virtually crashed out of business because of the steep prices in supermarkets,” she said.
Supermarket workers are also feeling the pinch and are unsure as to whether they will remain employed because of the serious lull in business.
“The situation has just gone bad. We spend long periods without any people coming in to buy something meaningful and we are fearing for our jobs. Something needs to be done to arrest the ongoing spike in prices,” said a dejected till operator.
Coming at a time when people are still battling to clear school fees balances for their children, the relentless increase in the cost of goods and services really needs to be monitored.
There appears to be no formula to the current wave of price increases, where anyone selling anything seems to be waking up hell-bent on effecting an increase.
The situation is worse in pharmacies, where a good number of people are leaving lifesaving drugs on the counters after being priced out.
“I think I will just wait to heal through God’s grace.
“The prices being charged by the pharmacists are out of this world. I still need to pay rent and put food on the table for the children, hence I cannot purchase the medication.
“The worst part is that pharmacies, and other retailers, are demanding the US dollar and each time you seek to swipe, you are told that the machine is offline.
People in business have just become heartless.
They have squeezed us to a point where we feel life is about to come out and the sooner they stop doing so the better,” a pensioner wailed recently.
Gentle reader, visiting the hospital is as if you would have committed a crime. It is no longer unusual to be confronted with requests for tests, medication and medical procedures.
This has forced many sick people to elect to die at home without seeking help.
The world could actually be a better place if those in business sought the heart to serve, instead of profiteering.
Inotambika mughetto.
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