Ankara Book and Stationery Chamber of Tradesmen President, Müslüm Küçükarzuman, stated that stationery products are sold in many places apart from stationery stores and said, “As we experience every year, everyone except us stationers became stationers. What will we sell? Grocery store, greengrocer, butcher; Everyone sells stationery. But stationery stores cannot sell stationery. This is one of our biggest problems.”
100 THOUSAND PEOPLE MAKE A LIVING FROM THIS BUSINESS IN ANKARA
Pointing out that the citizens do not prefer stationery and turn to chain markets, Küçükarzuman stated that the stationery shopkeepers survived with difficulties, “We are crying out. We want from the government wing; Let's take out stationery and stationery products from the markets. Because they push us pretty hard. We are already small business. Small business means; we work in our own business with our own family. We cannot pay our insurance, our Social Security Organization for Artisans and the Self-employed (Bağ-Kur). Most of us cannot retire. We cannot pay our debts. In Ankara, we, as the Ankara Chamber of Books and Stationers, have 2,000 members. Apart from us, we have stationers registered with Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ATO) and various places. We are nearly 4,000 stationers in total. 100 thousand people make a living from this business in Ankara. Come on, everyone sells stationery except us. We want a solution to this,” he added.
“THE GOVERNMENT SAID WE WILL BRING IT BUT IT DID NOT BRING IT”
Küçükarzuman, who stated that they prepared and presented a draft as the stationers' chamber, stated that this draft was never realized and said, "We prepared a draft in 2021. We said, 'Books and stationery should not be sold in chain markets under 1,500 square meters. Let it arrange a 12 square meter aisle in markets over 1,500 square meters. However, this draft, for some reason, does not come down from the commission. The ruling party says 'We'll bring it', but they don't bring it either. They need to hear our voices now."