Monday, March 12, 2007

Show THEM the money!

I don't go anywhere nowadays without hearing the same nag and talk about prices, salary raises and Amman going as crazy as the Gulf (in terms of prices and real-estate)... I go to shopping malls and see loads of human beings filling baskets to choking levels... I am always amazed with this kind of behavior and sometimes wonder: is it that Amman "has become expensive" or has the living standards of Jordanians changed? Is it that Amman "has become expensive" or is it that the options there are so many that we all want to try those new biscuits, luncheon meat or soft drink?According to the Jordan Consumer Protection Society, the prices of some basic commodities have gone up by 75% over the past 10 years. So Jordan is more expensive these days, but I still think it is both…. We have a bigger selection of commodities and the standards of living are just higher… we need mobile phones, ADSL, Showtime and Orbit and I donno what… Jordan is no longer a small Middle-Eastern country… people see and want to try!I also heard that a young Iraqi businessman is building a new mall in Mecca Street… it will be called Crystal Mall and will actually look like a crystal piece and will be 13 storeys high on a 35-donum plot of land, so roughly three times bigger than Mecca Mall… are these businessmen banking on the Jordanians or the foreigners to flock to these malls and fills trolleys or what is exactly the story?I have recently written a story on inflation in Jordan, to read it go here

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