Rural communities have shunned some local shops where goods are on sale at double the price charged in towns. At Nhowe Business Centre, Chief Svosve area, one shop pegged a 2 litre bottle of cooking oil at $4.50 while 2 kilograms of sugar was selling at $2.50. In Marondera, less than 30 km away, the same products were pegged at $3.46 and $1.80 respectively. The prices were hiked last week to cash in on the Christmas excitement, typical of revellers during festive seasons the world over.
To counter exorbitant prices charged by unscrupulous businesspeople, rural communities grouped themselves into shopping syndicates. Members of a syndicate would pool resources and contribute towards transport costs to fund shopping trips. The idea proved cost effective and is popular among communities living out of town, said a villager at Nhowe. The bold move by villagers left greedy rural business people worse off as their customer base virtually collapsed. Closure of the businesses looked imminent due to low sales.