Editorial: Let's make an extra effort to help

Nothing is ever perfect. And life is full of inconveniences. But if we all find a positive way to deal with things, things would be better.

For example, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced on Thursday that she would give all consumers a price break on flour, rice and oil produced by the state-owned National Flour Mills. 

For two days people buying the products listed would pay 20 per cent less than they normally pay at the checkout. And the two days are the busiest Christmas shopping days - December 23 and 24.

Here's the list:

1. Flour (two kilos)—Ibis, Lotus, Good and Natural, Cuisine and Hibiscus
2. Flour (ten kilos)—Ibis, Lotus, Club Select and Hibiscus
3. Soya bean oil—all sizes of Lotus soya bean oil
4. Rice—Lotus parboiled rice

OK. It means that a lot of people would benefit but also a lot of people would have to make some adjustments. We are already hearing a lot of whining about how it cannot be done but not a lot about how it can be done.

I am a journalist so I don't know how to run a supermarket or how to balance the books for a state company. But sometimes things are not as complicated as they seem.

So the PM drops a suprise on people because she thinks it's a good way to give poor folks a break for Christmas.

Supermarkets have already bought goods and stocked their shelves; prices are already marked and cash registers programmed for each item. So it's an inconvenience to do some juggling. But it's Christmas ... let's show some Christmas spirit!

The biggest concern appears to be how to give the consumer the discount and recover it from National Flour Mills. 

That seems simple enough. Keep a record of how much flour, rice and oil from NFL you sell on those two days and submit a rebate claim to NFM. You get a rebate on what you discount ... and the paperwork will show very clearly what is your entitlement.

As for the adjustments, it means making some changes on the shelves and reprogramming these few items on the cash registers. I know I am making it sound easier than it is. But we can do anything if we genuinely want to do it.

So come on. Make the adjustments and make Christmas a little better for thousands of families who could use that extra 20 cents on the dollar to buy a toy for a child who never had one.

We are TRINIS. Let's do it...