CAIRO – Tehran’s first US-style hypermarket has sparked an upbeat buzz among Tehran's middle-class residents, offering Iranians a shopping experience that they previously could obtain only by traveling abroad. "This store is like stepping into another world," Mansoureh Jafari, a Tehran nurse and mother of a 15-month-old daughter, told the Washington Post on Tuesday, December 01.
"Being here, shopping makes me happy. There are so many choices here."
Hyperstar, a 97,000-square-foot megastore modeled after France's Carrefour chain, opened its doors to the public in August.
Financed by a businessman from UAE, it offers Iranians seeking cheaper prices a shopping experience that they previously could obtain only by traveling abroad.
It attracts roughly 15,000 customers a day, spending on average $100, half of Iran’s monthly minimum wage.
"This is much cheaper than in our local supermarket," Kevayat Pirmoamer told her daughter while stocking up on Iran's most traditional of seasonal fruits.
Tehran’s 4 million middle-class residents, who make up about a third of the capital's population, are living under increasing economic pressure.
"This megastore illustrates Iran's progress. Just like other countries, we are going forward," added Pirmoamer.
"Now we can shop just like people abroad."
Capitalist Tehran
Critics see the Western-style hypermarket as the latest sign of the creeping Western capitalism, which the Islamic republic fought for decades.
"Globalization has reached our country and is rapidly changing traditional values," Amir Mohebbian, a political analyst, told the Post.
"Middle-class people need to work to keep pace, so they have less time for family, friends and -- as some clerics fear -- for religion."
Mohammad Khoshchehreh, a former lawmaker who now teaches economics at Tehran University, agrees.
"People in Iran often live above their status," he told the American daily.
"The salary of a doctor or a judge doesn't cover regular visits to a megastore or a new foreign car.
"They have to work more, and some take bribes to cover the expenses of their status."
Despite being the world's fourth-largest crude oil exporter, Iran has been reeling under massive inflation, hovering around 24 percent.
A report by a parliamentary research center concluded in February that Iran faces a budget deficit of 44 billion dollars in the financial year starting in March.
Mohebbian, the political analyst, cites the impact of the new trend on the general atmosphere and values in the Muslim country.
"Ten years ago, someone who was honest and unselfish would be regarded as a successful person," he said.
"Now it depends on the type of car you drive, or the house you live in."
Source: IslamOnline
"Being here, shopping makes me happy. There are so many choices here."
Hyperstar, a 97,000-square-foot megastore modeled after France's Carrefour chain, opened its doors to the public in August.
Financed by a businessman from UAE, it offers Iranians seeking cheaper prices a shopping experience that they previously could obtain only by traveling abroad.
It attracts roughly 15,000 customers a day, spending on average $100, half of Iran’s monthly minimum wage.
"This is much cheaper than in our local supermarket," Kevayat Pirmoamer told her daughter while stocking up on Iran's most traditional of seasonal fruits.
Tehran’s 4 million middle-class residents, who make up about a third of the capital's population, are living under increasing economic pressure.
"This megastore illustrates Iran's progress. Just like other countries, we are going forward," added Pirmoamer.
"Now we can shop just like people abroad."
Capitalist Tehran
Critics see the Western-style hypermarket as the latest sign of the creeping Western capitalism, which the Islamic republic fought for decades.
"Globalization has reached our country and is rapidly changing traditional values," Amir Mohebbian, a political analyst, told the Post.
"Middle-class people need to work to keep pace, so they have less time for family, friends and -- as some clerics fear -- for religion."
Mohammad Khoshchehreh, a former lawmaker who now teaches economics at Tehran University, agrees.
"People in Iran often live above their status," he told the American daily.
"The salary of a doctor or a judge doesn't cover regular visits to a megastore or a new foreign car.
"They have to work more, and some take bribes to cover the expenses of their status."
Despite being the world's fourth-largest crude oil exporter, Iran has been reeling under massive inflation, hovering around 24 percent.
A report by a parliamentary research center concluded in February that Iran faces a budget deficit of 44 billion dollars in the financial year starting in March.
Mohebbian, the political analyst, cites the impact of the new trend on the general atmosphere and values in the Muslim country.
"Ten years ago, someone who was honest and unselfish would be regarded as a successful person," he said.
"Now it depends on the type of car you drive, or the house you live in."
Source: IslamOnline
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