City and rural residents celebrate differently Ramadhan enjoyed by everyone [Archives:2002/45/Business & Economy]

YEMEN TIMES STAFF
Despite tight household budgets, Yemeni families are happily welcoming the Holy Month of Ramadhan, a time known for people’s generosity and tolerance.
Worship and its spiritual values are deeply rooted in the Yemeni people’s ideology, as is the case with all Arab and Muslim peoples.
Amid the process of welcoming the month of Ramadhan, the people of cities and villages, as it is customary every year, rushed to markets to buy foods, spices, desserts and various kinds of frankincense, and all necessaries for evening entertainment and lighting equipment, especially in the countryside where a big portion of the population experiences shortage of electricity.
For tradesmen, Ramadhan is the season of annual profits. In the final week of the month of Sha’aban, which precedes Ramadhan, tradesmen introduce a high-pricing process to their goods as they perceive it’s an opportune time for gaining profits to compensate for the economic depression prevailing local markets throughout most of the year.
Big businessmen and tradesmen use the time of Ramadhan to increase their profits. They hold consumer exhibitions for domestic and imported products under pretext of reducing their prices for the sake of poor families.
The consumer, in fact, realizes well that those exhibitions are meant for strengthening business activities aimed at securing high rates of profits at the expense of values of this sacred month.
In the case of small businesses, there are different methods to follow for marketing their goods in consumer markets. Beside fixed businesses, they would establish branch businesses in open air marketplaces with the aim of promoting their goods. This is accompanied with raising prices of their retail sale goods.
During the month of Ramadhan, some people in banking prefer to take vacations from their offices for business activities, thinking that will help them get higher profits than banking activity, which usually slows down during this month.
People in the countryside are usually not affected as much by rise of consumer goods because they breed sheep, cattle and poultry that provide them with meat and dairy products they need for Ramadhan.
In urban areas, people exercise their official jobs, except for judiciary, because they have electrical service and other facilities. People in urban area spend time watching TV. programs, including competitions usually held during the month of Ramadhan.

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