MAKKAH/JEDDAH/DAMMAM/JIZAN/TABUK/TAIMA – Counterfeit and expired goods, unlabeled cosmetics, tissues, perfumes and other products of unknown origin fill Abu Riyalain or ‘Two-Riyal' shops and are highly sought after by people who do not seem to care about the possible harm this “factory trash” may cause them, despite studies suggesting that the use of these items may cause allergies, inflammation and even cancer because some of them contain large amounts of chemicals. While some shoppers told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that they were happy to buy these cheap items, others said that the makeup, plastic plates, perfumes and cleaning products had harmed their skin and scalp, and demanded that the Abu Riyalain shops be monitored by the Consumer Protection Agency. ‘Cheap makeup is okay' Suha Naji of Jeddah said she is an Abu Riyalain customer because the makeup sold there “is not as bad as some people say. I used to buy well-known makeup brands and often had to throw them away because they dried up or expired, until a friend told me about the makeup in the Abu Riyalain shops which I tried and found to be both good and harmless.” Najla Abdulbaqi of Jeddah said she became an Abu Riyalain customer when she tried a lipstick at her friend's house. “I used to laugh at my friends for buying these cheap products, but when I tried my friend's lipstick, without knowing its price or brand, I was surprised to find that the two-riyal lipstick was no different than the one I used to get for SR150.” Jameela Jameel said she resorted to using cheap makeup after her budget became exhausted by buying expensive items with well-known trademarks. She has been using the cheap makeup for four years now and has no complaints. Another customer from Jeddah, Maha Ahmad, said that although the cheap products may not be of “very high quality”, they are certainly not counterfeited or adulterated as some people claim. Her policy is to “use the cheap makeup every day while saving the expensive, branded items for very special occasions”. This, she said, makes the latter last much longer. Savior of large families Abdullah Al-Naser of Makkah believes that Abu Riyalain shops and other stores that sell cheap items attract families with limited incomes looking for cheap home appliances, clothes and cleaning products “because everyone can afford their prices”. Ibrahim Isa said Abu Riyalain shops are the “savior of families that have, for example, seven sons and daughters”. He added that back-to-school periods, Eids and social occasions put a lot of economic pressure on families. Consumer protection On the other hand, there are those who complain that the items sold in these shops are harmful and along with counterfeit items being sold in other parts of the market should be monitored by the authorities. Mona Abdullah and Aamal Al-Juhani of Makkah say that “such shops sell products that may harm users, especially goods related to the skin and eyes”. They called upon the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Consumer Protection Agency to intensify their monitoring to identify violations by some businessmen who seek to obtain a profit by any means. ‘Factory trash' Raja Al-Shehri, a Makkah woman shopper, described the items being sold in Abu Riyalain shops as “factory trash” and said that the owners of these shops are exploiting families by selling them products of inferior quality. She added, however, that “not all cheap products are bad, but the problem is that there are some products that are claimed to be of high quality and at the same time are very cheap, which makes one suspicious. Some people believe the claims of high quality and then later discover that they have bought products that are not worth half of what they paid for them.” Damaging sunglasses Zakariya Ibrahim owns an optical shop in Makkah where he sells sunglasses. He said some merchants cheat consumers by selling them counterfeit sunglasses for high prices with the names of well-known brands. The products are usually skillfully counterfeited, and that along with the high price leads people to believe that they are buying the genuine article. “I advise consumers not to consider the high price to be an indication that the product is genuine. Bogus sunglasses do not provide sufficient protection from ultraviolet radiation and can damage the eyes of those wearing them,” he said. Fake electric shavers Ali Al-Yami from Makkah said he bought an electric shaver with a brand name for SR60 from a shop selling cheap goods, although that shaver is usually sold for SR120. “When the salesman told me that it was original and made in Japan, I asked him why it was so cheap, and he assured me that it was on sale. Less than a week later, the shaver stopped working.” Perfume scam Ahmad Abdullah, a Makkah shop owner selling perfumes and cosmetics, explained how some merchants selling perfumes defraud consumers. “They buy a quantity of bottles of original perfume and another quantity of perfumes that have been skillfully counterfeited. After they sell all of the bottles of the original perfume at the correct market price, they offer steep discounts on the bottles of counterfeit perfume, and they sell them quickly because the demand is high, “ he said. “Although some consumers actually ask us for counterfeit perfume, we do not deal in it out of respect for the health of our clients,” he added. Counterfeit cream Asma, a student in Makkah, said she thought she had found a good bargain when she bought 10 packs of skin cream for SR200, but she soon found “I had the worse deal in my life. As soon as I started using the second pack, pimples started to appear all over my face, and I am now being treated at a specialist clinic.” Warning to consumers Dermatologists warn that counterfeit skin products and cosmetics may contain harmful substances and that long-term usage may lead to serious health problems. Dr. Sahar Ismael, a Jeddah dermatologist, related the story of Nouf, a four-year-old girl with an inflammation in the suprarenal gland which was found to have been caused by the cortisone creams that her mother used on her to treat a skin inflammation from diapers. “Although the cream, which the mother admitted she bought from a cheap goods store, gave good results and mitigated the skin inflammation in the beginning, it had a harmful long-term effect and caused the suprarenal inflammation,” Dr. Ismael explained. She added that many people are forced to go to dermatologists after using these products as most of them contain carcinogenic chemical substances and unapproved artificial pigments, the long-term use of which cause serious diseases. Pediatrician Osama Al-Khouli said that many children's toys sold in Abu Rialayn shops are dangerous and that families who buy them do not realize how harmful they may be. Many of these toys easily break into pieces which poses a threat for very young children. “The manufacturing of some toys may involve chemicals that can ultimately reach the child's digestive system. If that happens and the chemicals remain in the digestive system, the child might need to undergo surgery,” he said. Dr. Sulaiman Al-Ghalayeeni, a dermatologist in Makkah, said that the use of counterfeit perfumes and skin products can result in allergies and inflammation and may ultimately lead to skin cancer. “Many of these products are manufactured by unknown and unregulated factories that use inferior materials,” he added. Authorities reassure public A specialist at the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) at the Al-Tuwal border crossing point in Jizan, Muhannad Al-Khaldi, said the SFDA thoroughly examines all imports. Jeddah Mayoralty's Director General of Markets, Dr. Basheer Najm, said any product found to have no certificate of origin, or to have been stored improperly, is seized by the Commercial Fraud Committee of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry which takes part in the Ministry of Commerce's inspections of local markets. Improper storage However, Field Supervisor at the Commercial Fraud Committee, Ahmad Muabber, said the problem is not actually in the goods themselves as most of the goods that enter the country are of “good” quality. The problem is that they are often not stored properly. “We inspect stored goods, and if any change or alteration in the quality of the product is detected then it is withdrawn from the market,” he said, adding that inspection samples are sent to the SFDA's labs. “As for low-quality electronics, they are not allowed to enter the country,” he said.
