Government Prepares to Sign Yet Another Paper About Cheap Bread — This Time Promises Products Will Be Visible to the Naked Eye

Government representatives are preparing to sign yet another promise about cheaper products in early October, since the previous memorandum apparently wasn't clear enough. "This time we will sign a new, additional agreement with all involved parties," said Minister Valainis, which sounds like "we admit our previous work was like looking for fresh vegetables at Liepāja's central market in January."

The most ridiculous part is that the minister emphasized that products included in the low-price basket must be more visible in stores. "If we're going with these low-price categories, they need to be sufficiently visible," said Valainis. In other words, until now the cheap products have been hidden like treasures on a pirate map, and shoppers have had to search for them with a magnifying glass.

"I was starting to think those cheap products are hidden somewhere behind Karosta prison," laughs Liepāja resident Inese, who has been trying to find the promised cheap bread since spring. "Maybe now they'll put them by the checkout so I can at least see what I can't afford."

The Consumer Rights Protection Center concluded back in February that out of ten promised product categories, only seven on average can be found on store shelves. That's like promising ten sunny days per month in Liepāja but delivering only seven. Though in our case, that would actually be a good result.

Meanwhile, retailers justify themselves with seasonality and assortment peculiarities. "We can't guarantee all products," says one anonymous retailer. "How can we sell fresh cucumbers in December at a cheap price?" Fair point — better to wait until they're cheaper than ship fuel at Liepāja port.