Markets in the capital Damascus over the last few days have witnessed an unprecedented rise in the prices of goods and popular foods, according to loyalist media, indicating that every store and seller has started to set prices according to their whim.
The pro-regime Al-Watan newspaper reported on Thursday that a falafel and shawarma sandwich are sold “according to mood,” without any standards to ensure that the sandwich price aligns with the cost of its purchase, “amid a lack of monitoring and the dispersion of measures from the concerned agencies to put an end to these fictional prices.”
In monitoring the prices of popular foods, the price of a falafel sandwich has reached more than 250 Syrian pounds ($1.15) and the price of one small falafel piece has reached 15 pounds, with variations in the price between one store and another. The pricing is set according to the attitude of the seller, while the amount of food vendors put in the sandwich is not appropriate for the price.
The newspaper Al-Watan said in its report that the price of a shawarma sandwich ranged between 500 and 1,000 pounds ($2.30-4.60), according to the store and the area, and a meal has reached 850 pounds, ranging to up to 1,200 in some districts of Damascus. A kilo of musabaha, a chickpea dish, has reached 700 pounds, and foul, a popular bean dish, is 350 pounds.
According to some store owners, this increase in price is a result of the increase of prices in various goods such as fuel and electricity, in addition to an increase in the cost of chicken and labor, which forces store owners to arbitrarily raise the price of food.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
