Mobile shops have been a common scene in most of the rural areas. Shopkeepers and businessmen move around to market out their old stocks. Our reporter in Gelephu, Pema Samdrup, says every month, a marketing pick-up truck make rounds to various villages of Zhemgang, Trongsa and sometimes even to Bumthang.
A good amount of money is made from the sale of these old items. “I used to sale the items and make about Nu. 40,000 to 50,000 in a month and sometimes even more,” says one of the shopkeepers.
The mobile vendors also sell old stock of essential commodities to the villagers at cheaper rates. Some of the villagers expressed their concerns of having such mobile vendors.
“I see many mobile marketing barging into our village and selling things that our farmers doesn’t see the quality and manufactured label and also we don’t know the rules,” says Sangay, a local resident of Tingtibi.
Another villager, Rinchen Lethro, from Phangkhar Gewog, raised concerns about the expiry dates of some of the commodities that they sell. “Our villagers can’t read and there are chances that they might be bringing expired products.”
Prominent businessmen in Gelephu deny allegations that they sell old stocks through mobile marketing. They, however, said they use their pickup trucks to sell the new stocks.
According to the rules and regulations of the Department of Trade, mobile marketing is strictly prohibited except for the wholesale dealers.
Trade officials told BBS, that retailers are not allowed to sell their goods through mobile marketing and if found, will be fined according to the Trade law.
