Young Saudis bitter over monopoly of expat vendors

Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — Young Saudis are complaining of a lacking of Saudi vendors at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center. The center is full with many national artefacts created by Saudis, ranging from plastic products, detergents, desserts, in addition to baby items, paper products and utensils and household kitchens, but there is only one Saudi among the many vendors at the center. Saudi citizen, Saad Al-Subaie, said: “I visit the Riyadh Exhibition Center a lot and all products here have reasonable and suitable prices compared to large markets and malls, but what struck me that all sellers are foreigners; where is the Saudi youth in these exhibitions that seem limited to employ only foreigners?” “Exhibitions are cultural reflections of our society, offering national products that should be led by the Saudi youth. They attract a lot of visitors, whether foreigners or citizens. We must force the factory owners and the owners of these products to Saudize sales operations. Saudi youth have proved their worth and capabilities. For example, but not limited to, the sale of cars; Saudis have excellent customer service skills,” he said. Another citizen, Nawaf Al-Anzi, agreed with Al-Subaie, and said: “We are proud that the products here are all from Saudi Arabia, and the quality and prices are good. But what is lacking is the Saudi seller. There are excellent work opportunities for Saudi youth.” Another citizen, Abu Khaled, said: “I think that young Saudis have the right to these jobs and they have demonstrated their proficiency in other sectors such as communications and maintenance and sale of mobile phones. They won’t hesitate to work here in the exhibition center and make great progress too.”