Cost of student uniforms likely to rise
Parents can expect to face higher costs as the new school term approaches as producers of student uniforms raise their retail prices to compensate for higher labour and production expenses.
Wiboonlasana Raumraksa, director-general of the Internal Trade Department, said yesterday that a producer of student uniforms had recently asked for permission to increase its prices.
“The enterprise said it was facing higher production costs, mainly from the rise in the minimum wage to Bt300 a day. Garment manufacturing is labour-intensive, so rising wages have created higher costs for this industry.”
She said the department would next week call a meeting with student-uniform manufacturers to discuss a plan to raise prices and by how much, and seek ways to mitigate the effect on consumers.
The department does not expect the prices to rise enough to create much of a burden for parents.
A student-uniform retailer said sales had not increased much this month as consumers were preoccupied with travel during the Songkran Festival. However, the shop expects more parents to buy student attire early next month before the start of the new school term.
The price of uniforms is expected to increase by 3-5 per cent this year, the source said.
The price of student uniform for a girl is currently Bt140-Bt253 for a shirt and Bt160-Bt457 for a skirt, while for a boy, a shirt is Bt145-Bt342 and a pair of shorts Bt150-Bt580.
Meanwhile, Vatchari Vimooktayon, permanent secretary of the Commerce Ministry, said the ministry would carry on with the Thook Jai low-price shop project to help consumers cope with the rising cost of living.
The Thook Jai project as of the end of March had cost Bt1.32 billion over the past year. Vatchari said the ministry would ask for a budget from the government to keep running the project.
