The Por Tor Festival, an influential cultural event among the ethnic Chinese throughout Phuket Island, sparked a surge in product demand and suggestions of price gouging. In response, officers from the Phuket Provincial Commerce Office initiated checks among retailers to detect any signs of price gouging during the event being held from August 28 to September 14.
Two of the retailers scrutinized yesterday were a Phuket Grocery, located in Phuket Town, and Namsaeng Rice Trading Ltd, a wholesale rice distributor. Pathumphon Yamkerd, the Chief of the Trade Economic Supervision and Development Group at Phuket Provincial Commercial Office, spearheaded the checks at both premises.
Upon inspection, officials found no evidence of product hoarding, a practice often resulting in unjustified price increases. They concluded that all product prices were…
