On 6 February, 2021 Turkmen state-run stores resumed the sale of cheap cigarettes, which were sold with a limit of 2 packs per person.
Cigarettes which were sold at 32 manats per pack before they disappeared from the stores and now cost 50 manats are referred to as “cheap”.
Cigarettes were supplied to the stores in limited quantities and shops ran out of them two hours later.
In the next days it transpired that cigarettes had not been sold in all Ashgabat stores. Residents do not know in advance what retail outlets they will be supplied to. Nevertheless, people line up in front of the stores starting from 1 a.m. hoping they will be able to buy cigarettes.
Some people go from store to store at night in an attempt to find out when cigarettes will be supplied.
State-run stores near Ashgabat, located in the villages of Gami, Anex, Yashluk and Gyars sold cigarettes for several consecutive days and for this reason many residents of the capital came there.
On 9 February, 2021 a mass fight broke out in the queue for cigarettes, after which the sale of tobacco products was suspended again in Ashgabat and neighbouring villages.
On 10 February, 2021 a store manager from Anev asked people not to join the queue.
Four police officers failed to appease people in the queue who got into the fight yesterday. The shop was almost destroyed. For this reason we are not planning to sell cigarettes following the instructions, customers in the queue in front of the shop were informed.
It was previously reported that after cheap cigarettes had appeared on the counters of state-run stores, prices for cigarettes in privately-owned shops plummeted from 20 to 7 manats apiece.
Many people are currently buying cigarettes at this price hoping that the price in privately-owned retail outlets will considerably increase again after the sale in state-run stores has been suspended.The post Sale of cigarettes in Ashgabat suspended after a fight in front of the store first appeared on Chronicles of Turkmenistan.