The nation's stock exchange and foreign exchange markets were suspended yesterday as the nation was shrouded in heavy rains and high gales brought by Typhoon Aere.
Most public activities were also postponed in northern Taiwan, where the typhoon was expected to make a landing last night, according to the Central Weather Bureau.
Streams of people packed hypermarkets, supermarkets and convenience stores to stockpile household necessities.
"We've seen more than double [the usual number of] customers pouring into our outlets since the doors opened," said Lilian Lee (
Most shopping carts were filled with dried foods, such as instant noodles, canned food, bread and cookies, as well as with vegetables and fruits, Lee said.
Hypermarket operator RT-Mart (
"The typhoon has come when all retailers are offering preferential prices for the public's preparation for the Chung Yuan Festival (
The Chung Yuan Festival, also known as the Ghost Festival, is an important folklore tradition to honor the dead with pudu (
It falls on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, which is Aug. 30 this year.
Carrefour and RT-Mart both reported that retail prices for leafy vegetables, which are vulnerable to typhoon damage, remained unchanged yesterday as sufficient supplies were transported from central and southern Taiwan.
Wang suggested that the public purchase root vegetables and imported produce if farms suffer damage.
Taipei Agricultural Products Marketing Co (
Convenience stores also saw rising sales of batteries, bottled water and dried foods.
"Our boxed meals and bread were sold out in some outlets by early morning," said Esther Lin (
"As the typhoon's effects might step up tomorrow [today], we will offer more supplies to meet urgent needs," she said.
Major shopping areas such as Pacific Sogo Department Store, Core Pacific City Mall and Taipei 101 Shopping Center kept normal business hours yesterday.
Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store and Takashimaya Department Store, however, stayed closed for safety reasons.
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