From billion rents to theft of goods; The narration of the managers of the fruit and vegetable stores / "The rent of our fruit and vegetable center increased from 800 to 900 million tomans" / "Thefts have increased"

The fruit and vegetable centers of Tehran Municipality have expanded with the aim of providing high-quality and cheaper products to the citizens, but behind this showcase, both customers complain about the prices and the managers of the centers say about the heavy costs and the difficulty of continuing to operate. From the rents of several hundred million to billions and the decrease in people's purchasing power to the increase in theft and the daily fluctuation of prices, a series of challenges have put pressure on the activity of these centers.

Farzaneh Farhani: Urban management in a metropolis like Tehran is an important and multidimensional issue, and almost all its dimensions, directly or indirectly, are related to the daily life of citizens. From public transportation and urban services to the provision of basic goods and access to affordable food products, the decisions of city managers can affect the quality of life of millions of people.

The sixth term of Tehran's urban management continues while Alireza Zakani, the mayor of Tehran, and his appointed managers from time to time unveil new plans aimed at improving the quality of life of the capital's residents. However, some experts in the urban area believe that some of these programs are more promotional and electoral and do not have a lasting and tangible impact on the daily life of citizens.

Plans such as free transportation by metro and rapid transit buses (BRT) and the implementation of the "Zero Inflation" plan are among the plans that the mayor of Tehran has talked about with the aim of increasing the well-being of citizens.

The expansion of fruit and vegetable centers under the supervision of Tehran Municipality has also been one of the topics of interest in this period of urban management; A plan that aims to increase citizens' access to food products and supply goods at a reasonable price, but besides the possible benefits, it also faces challenges.

Although Bakhtiarizadeh, the CEO of the Fruit and Vegetable Fields Management Organization of Tehran Municipality, and Zakani, the capital city's mayor, mention the reasonable price and high quality of the products as the characteristics of these centers, some citizens, especially the middle and low-income classes, complain about the high price of fruits, meat, chicken, vegetables and other items offered in these centers.

According to these citizens, the price of many products in fruit and vegetable centers is not much different from the price of the same goods in shops and stores in the city. In other words, the fact that the products are cheaper in these centers, as suggested by the city officials, is not noticeable to some of the customers.

On the other side of the story, managers of fruit and vegetable centers also talk about problems such as heavy rents, daily fluctuation of product prices, increase in theft and difficulty in meeting current expenses. According to them, the decrease in people's purchasing power has also put pressure on the economic activity of these centers.

rent of 900 million tomans; When the costs of the center exceed the ability of the managers

One of the managers of fruit and vegetable centers in Tehran said in an interview with Ambassador Arjan: "The rent of the center that we currently have was 800 million tomans last year and this year it has reached 900 million tomans."

In the current situation, there are people who steal from vegetable centers. The price of bananas sometimes reaches more than 300 thousand tomans. It is enough for them to steal a few kilos of bananas, pistachios or fresh hazelnuts from us; Then we will face a loss of several million tomans.

Referring to the decrease in people's purchasing power, he explains that it has become difficult to pay this amount of rent, especially in the current economic conditions, and its provision is associated with problems.

The director of the Tarebar center says that the increase in economic problems and the decrease in the purchasing power of citizens, in addition to the decrease in sales, have also turned the costs of the center into a serious issue.

He continues: "The decrease in people's purchasing power has also caused us problems. For the central office under our management, we have to pay various expenses such as employee salaries, transportation and moving of products, and rent. In the current situation, it is difficult to provide these expenses and we are waiting for our contract to end before we decide on the continuation of the work."

The increase in theft in grocery stores; From the theft of bananas and pistachios to millions of damages

Another manager of fruit and vegetable centers near Tehran's customs square talks about the heavy costs of running these centers. According to him, the rent of the center under their management reaches one billion and 800 million tomans and they have paid five billion tomans as a deposit.

Pointing to the difficulties of running a fruit and vegetable center, he explains that activity in this field requires experience and knowledge of the market, and even experienced people face problems without having business connections in the central fruit and vegetable market.

This manager says: "Managing a fruit and vegetable center is a very difficult job. You must already have experience in this field and be familiar with the work. However, no matter how experienced you are, this job still has its own difficulties, and you must be familiar with the large square of tarebar."

He considers another problem of working in these centers to be the attitude of some inspectors and upper managers and adds: "The engineer comes and finds fault, the inspector comes and finds fault; In general, the work has many problems, especially for those of us who are not familiar with the organization of Maidan Municipal Squares."

According to this manager, the increase in product theft has also become one of the serious concerns of tarebar centers. Referring to the high price of some products, he says: "In the current situation, there are people who steal from grocery stores. The price of bananas sometimes reaches more than 300 thousand tomans. It is enough for them to steal a few kilos of bananas, pistachios or fresh hazelnuts from us; Then we will face a loss of several million tomans."

This manager says that due to the high costs of running the center, it is not possible to hire a separate force to control customers' purchases and check invoices. According to him, if a theft is not detected, financial losses will be brought to the center, and even if it is detected, it is not always easy to prove the issue and follow it up.

He continues: "Sometimes we find out about customer theft and the matter is brought to the management office, but there the work becomes more difficult. We can't handle the person easily and usually they don't give in. On the other hand, they tell us from the management office why you caught the thief. "In general, the theft from tarebar centers has increased this year compared to previous years."

Why are some managers of vegetable centers thinking of leaving this market?

The director of the Tarabar center says that after the end of the current contract, they do not intend to renew it and prefer to continue their activity as an independent shop.

"Once our contract is up, we're not looking to renew it," he explains. We want to open our own shop outside the center of Tarabar. The advantage of independent work is that the inspector and upper manager of the municipality is not above you. Of course, independent work also has its own problems, but we prefer to try it."

Fluctuation in product prices is another problem mentioned by this manager. According to him, the products needed by the center are bought from the central fruit and vegetable market and the prices may change every day. At the same time, centers must follow the announced price list and cannot sell products at a price higher than the set rate.

Explaining this situation, he says: "We buy the center's fruits and vegetables from Tareh Bar Square; Where prices are not fixed and change every day. They also give us the price list from the central square, and we cannot sell the product more expensive than the set price."

This manager refers to a situation where an approved price reduction can result in a financial loss even though the product was previously purchased at a higher price.

"We may have bought good quality potatoes at a high price, but the next day the price on the Central Square list will drop," he says. In this situation, we also have to lower the selling price, even if we lose. No one cares about us."

This manager also criticizes the behavior of some inspectors and upper managers of the municipality and believes that insufficient familiarity with the difficulties of this profession sometimes leads to inappropriate interactions with veteran activists in this field.

He says: "Some inspectors and upper managers of the municipality are not familiar with the type of work of tarebar centers and its challenges. People like us, who have more than 10 years of experience in this profession, are not treated properly and sometimes the behavior is insulting. These issues have made us tired and we have come to the conclusion that after the end of the contract, we will not participate in a new tender and look for independent work.

Solving the challenges of vegetable centers; An important link in improving urban services

Undoubtedly, a few short conversations cannot provide a comprehensive picture of all the problems and challenges of fruit and vegetable centers in Tehran municipality. However, the statements of the managers of these centers show that in addition to the price and quality of the products, issues such as rental cost, purchase price fluctuation, current costs, theft and how to interact with regulatory bodies also affect their activities.

Addressing these problems can help improve the quality of services, increase the satisfaction of the activists in this field, and finally, provide more appropriate products to citizens. Managers of fruit and vegetable centers, as partners of the Municipal Square Management Organization, are part of the supply chain of food products in Tehran, and the difficulty of their activity can also affect the way services are provided.

On the other hand, the increase in the number of fruit and vegetable centers and the easier access of citizens to them, although it is important, alone is not enough to achieve the goal of supplying products at a reasonable price. What is ultimately important for people is the final price of the product and its difference with the price of similar products in stores and shops in the city.

In a situation where many households are facing a decrease in purchasing power, the supply of fruits and vegetables at a reasonable price becomes doubly important. Expensive and high-quality products can be found in many shops in the city; But the expectation from the municipal fruit and vegetable centers is to be able to supply the products needed by the people at really affordable prices.

From this point of view, the evaluation of the performance of tarebar centers should not be focused only on the number of centers or the level of access of citizens; Rather, it is necessary to pay attention to the real savings of households, the quality of products, the relative stability of prices and the conditions of the managers of these centers.