Hazim Al-Mutairi

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

RIYADH — The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has allocated three channels for the public to contact it about unjustified price hikes of consumer goods and services and suspected commercial fraud.



These services, which forms part of the ministry’s initiative to closely monitor local markets, consist of the 24-hour hotline number 1900, mobile applications and the ministry’s official Twitter account.



Meanwhile, a large number of consumers criticized some shopkeepers for allegedly hiking the prices of major commodities daily.



They said they were surprised about some traders’ perceived nonchalance toward the ministry’s decisions and their violation of the bylaws and regulations.



They said there were often stark differences in prices between shops close to one another in Riyadh.



They claimed that prices started rising with the issuance of the royal order to disburse two salaries to Saudi state employees.



In some cases the price hikes reached 15 percent compared to previous prices.



A specialist in economic affairs Fahd Al-Mishrafi called on the Ministry of Commerce to impose tight supervision of the markets and form committees to monitor prices so retailers do not increase prices without justification.



Al-Mishrafi added the markets would flourish greatly during this period due to the injection of money in a significant number of citizens’ bank accounts.



He warned workers in some shops do not care about the ministry’s regulations, but also believed citizens had great confidence in the supervisory authorities that they would take action against traders who unjustifiably increase prices.