A number of cooperative societies reportedly move to prevent the entry of expatriates for shopping and buying products during the holy month of Ramadan under the pretext that a large number of expatriate shoppers at co-ops leads to overbuying of Ramadan products sold at discounted prices, says local reports.

However the Consumer Protection Association slammed this action as illegal. “Preventing expatriates from entering any cooperative society and limiting products to citizens only is against the law,” Head of the Consumer Protection Association Meshaal Al-Manae said. “There is absolutely no justification for a co-op’s refusal to sell goods to consumers, whether citizens or expatriates. The consumer protection law protects against such decisions. Cooperative societies are establishments that have a commercial license from the commerce ministry and the market law applicable to other similar establishments also applies to them,” he said.

Meanwhile, an official source at the National Guard Society denied reports circulated on social media about preventing sales to non-Kuwaiti consumers. “National Guard Society welcomes all segments of the Kuwaiti society, citizens or expatriates,” it stressed.