Consumers in Yaounde who usually buy from supermarkets are experiencing a reduction in the prices of some products. The supermarkets are into promotional sales of all sorts apparently to empty their shelves of some old stocks especially during the holiday period and as the back-to-school period approaches with usually a mad rush for diverse products.

While some are adopting the "buy-one-take-two" option, others are into outright downsizing of prices of their products to attract as many people as possible. And the communication around the promotional sales tells of a well drafted business strategy where failure is forbidden. In almost all nooks and crannies of the town, banners carrying the promotional sales messages abound. "Soldes Profonds at..." "... le juste prix" and "Soldes effrayantes at..." are some of the messages visible even to people with short sights.

In the supermarkets, like Casino for instance, the promotional sales concern mostly shoes and dresses. Visitors at the sector are welcomed by a boldly written message, "Solde". Reductions here range from 10 to about 60 per cent depending on what the buyer needs. Each product has its original price and the reduction percentage placed on it and sales men and women use their calculators to effect the deductions once each product is picked by a desiring consumer.

Nikki with its "Soldes Profonds" slogan has almost completely overhauled its pricing. Each product on the shelve has the old higher price canceled with red ink and the new reduced price boldly written on the same paper. While some products have witnessed slight reductions in prices of FCFA 100 to FCFA 200, others have had their prices sliced by FCFA 500 and more.

Meanwhile at Mahima, there are possibilities of going away with free sachets of ovaltine, for instance, after buying those in bigger sizes. The supermarket has also recruited young and smart sales girls who alert customers on arrival of the promotional sales telling them what they stand to gain if they pick one product or the other. It is also here that a bottle of liquor hitherto sold at FCFA 7,500 has dropped to FCFA 6,950. Examples abound.

Even though salesmen and women declined commenting on the raison d'être of the promotional sales on grounds that they were not given authorization, it goes without saying that the move, almost traditional during holidays, back-to-school and end-of-year periods, seeks to empty the shelves of some unsold products so as to refill with new ones.

However, most of the customers Cameroon Tribune talked to in the supermarkets saluted the initiative especially at a time when prices of some products are skyrocketing following increases in fuel prices across the country. "The reductions help us to economise money for other products," Nancy Kembeiy said. "It would be better appreciated if they include books and other school items in the promotional sales when the time comes," another customer, Patience H. noted.