Parents doing homework at the malls for their children

Botrous Khoury, an air controller at Beirut International Airport, father of Betra, 4, told Khaleej Times at Abu Dhabi Cooperative (Mina Branch), that his daughter, who would be enrolled here for the first time, had preferred a Charlot bag to that of Barbie or Fulla.

“Prices here are far less than those in Beirut and even the brands of bags are better ....another important thing is that there is no fraud...... prices do vary, but only due to the quality of materials used in bags,” said Khoury who came here to search for a job after his house at Damour area was destroyed during the Israeli aggression against Lebanon.

An Abu Dhabi-based Iraqi, Adel Khalaf, a father of four boys and girls, pointed out to the cocktail of stationeries but observed that prices had jumped this year by 10 to 20 per cent over those of last year. He said that the girls had chosen a bag of Moranguinho and Barbie trademarks while the boys picked up those of Spiderman and Superman.

“Prices are on the rise and even stationery items like pencils are up by 15 per cent this year,” he said. On school fees, he added, some schools had increased them from Dh6,500 to Dh9,500.

However, a mother of two children felt that prices were acceptable given the varieties and the quality of the products. She noted that Spanish products are more expensive than the Chinese ones. “I prefer buying high quality products because they last longer ... I am trying my best to secure all my children’s stationery requirements and this shopping spree is quite a ‘festive’ occasion for my children,” she added.

At Jarier Bookshop, Khaleej Times spoke to Gerry Molcanar, head of the bags section, who said, “Prices of Spanish bags differ in terms of quality and size. A big Spanish Piston trademark bag costs Dh99 while a small one is sold for Dh64 and the breakfast one at Dh49. Some types of bags like the Spanish trolley can cost up to Dh169,” he noted. Ali Al Niyadi considered the prices to be quite high. He said that his children demanded he buy their bags from the Jarier Bookshop. “Boys prefer bags and stationery items displaying portraits of famous cartoon and sports characters while girls love those of Fulla or Barbie.”