Brisk sales for school uniforms across Thailand

BANGKOK, May 8 (TNA) - As the new semester for most schools is approaching in mid-May, active sales have been observed at stores selling school uniforms across Thailand although their prices have increased by some 10 per cent on average. Parents in Thailand's northern Chiang Mai province, several of whom are farmers, have taken their kids to local stores, for instance, to buy new uniforms. Queues were seen outside several local shops, whose owners acknowledged their active sales for school uniforms, including tops, bottoms, socks, shoes and belts. Despite the price increase, the northern parents said they did not feel overweighed by the uniform costs, as they had earned higher income this year from selling their farm produce. In nearby Chiang Rai province, some 20 stores in Muang district have been filled with customers, even though school uniforms prices have increased by 20-50 baht. However, the stores' owners said their customers bought less sets of clothing this year, from usually 3-4 to 1-2 sets, and tended to buy larger-sized- uniforms for their kids so that they would not be outgrown too quickly. Similar sales were seen in Yasothon province in the Thai Northeast, where local shops offered special discounts for school uniforms in a bid to attract more customers, as local parents have taken their kids to try their new uniforms at the shops. (TNA)