Arwe nah good enough?

The views expressed herein are solely those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of One News SVG.

In little Vincy there is a quiet insult that we, as Vincentians, are being asked to accept every time we walk into certain supermarkets and pay these high prices for products that look, feel, and sometimes smell as though we are receiving what other markets have rejected. I have to ask if “Arwe nah good enough?”

This is disrespectful to the citizens. It is not about whether a supermarket looks modern, whether the lighting is bright, or whether the fruit section is arranged in a way that pleases the eye. It is about dignity and standards. The people of St Vincent and the Grenadines deserve the same quality, the same variety, and the same respect that supermarket chains appear able to provide elsewhere in the Caribbean.

Too often, Vincentians travel to Barbados, St Lucia, Trinidad, Grenada, or to other neighboring countries and immediately notice the difference. The supermarket experience is not the same at all. The range of products is wider. The fruits often look fresher. The stores are more visually appealing. The shelves carry options that make the consumer feel valued rather than limited. The atmosphere says: “You matter.”

When we return home we are met with a very limited variety. Poorly presented produce. Fruits that appear tired before they even reach the checkout counter. Goods that may not have reached their expiry date but nevertheless raise serious questions about storage, handling, refrigeration, and quality control. In some instances, consumers have complained that products spoil before their stated expiry date.

A product can be technically within date and still be unsafe, poorly stored, contaminated, stale, or unacceptable. A mango, apple, grape, piece of meat, dairy item, or packaged food does not become fit for human consumption simply because the label says there are three days left. Quality is not only about the date printed on the package; it is about transportation, refrigeration, handling, rotation of stock, inspection, cleanliness, and respect for the consumer.

Supermarkets are selling the things we place on our tables, in our children’s lunch kits, in the hands of the elderly, and in the homes of hardly working Vincy families. When prices remain high but standards remain low, consumer justice becomes part of the conversation. When other Caribbean islands appear to receive a better version of supermarket experiences, national dignity becomes part of the conversation.

I must ask, why should St Vincent and the Grenadines be treated as a home for low-grade goods?

We must, as citizens of this country, reject any answer that relies on the size of our market. Smallness is not an excuse for slackness. We are small when it is convenient, but apparently large enough when it is time to collect profit. We are small when consumers ask for better quality, but big enough when prices increase.

Supermarkets operating in St Vincent and the Grenadines must understand that Vincentians are not second-class consumers. We are not a dumping ground. We are not the end of the regional supply chain where whatever is left over can be sent and sold. We are a proud people with a right to decent goods, decent facilities, proper food safety practices, and fair treatment in the marketplace.

There is something deeply troubling when citizens can walk into a supermarket in another Caribbean island and feel that the standard is higher, then come home and feel that our people are being offered less. That feeling may not always be scientific, but it is real. It is seen in the fruit section. It is seen in cracked floors, tired shelves, poor lighting, weak presentation, limited inventory, and the casual attitude that sometimes seems to say: “They will buy it anyway.”

But Vincentians should not “buy it anyway.”

Consumers must become more demanding. We must inspect what we purchase. We must return goods that are spoiled, defective, or unacceptable. We must keep receipts. We must take photographs where appropriate. We must report repeated problems to the relevant authorities like Consumer Affairs. We must stop treating poor service and poor quality as a private inconvenience and begin treating it as a public issue.

The everyday citizen is not to blame on their own. The State has a duty to act. The Consumer Affairs Department must be visible, active, and responsive. The Bureau of Standards must not merely exist as an institution in name, but must be felt in the daily life of our people. Public health officials must conduct inspections where there are credible complaints. The relevant authorities should consider regular audits of supermarkets, especially where food storage, refrigeration, sanitation, and produce quality are concerned.

There should be public education on how to make complaints. There should be a simple system for consumers to report spoiled goods, poor storage conditions, and unacceptable supermarket environments. There should be consequences where businesses repeatedly fail to meet acceptable standards.

The supermarket is one of the most ordinary places in national life, but it tells us something extraordinary about how a society sees its people. If the poor, the working class, the professional, the pensioner, and the parent must all pass through the same aisles to feed their families, then those aisles should reflect respect.

St Vincent and the Grenadines deserve supermarkets that match the beauty, pride, and ambition of the country itself, “Arwe good enough” for that.

Written by Adrian S. Odle.

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