The Confederation of Turkish Tradesmen and Craftsmen (TESK) Chairman Bendevi Palandöken said charming promotions and deceptive advertisements in shopping malls incite people to engage in compulsive and brash consumption behaviors that result in extravagancy.

Palandöken said in a written statement that consumption habits change as lifestyles change, and the younger generations in particular are abandoning the culture of shopping at neighborhood shopkeepers. The retail industry in Turkey, worth $250 billion, half of which is constituted by food spending, is rapidly growing, Palandöken said, adding: "Attractive promotions and deceptive product advertisements in shopping malls and hypermarkets particularly urge younger generations to consume rapidly and engage in wholesale shopping, which increases food waste."

Palandöken also underlined that people who shop once a month are charmed by advertisements that incite them to take advantage of cheap promotional products and urge them to buy things they do not need. People no longer have time and patience to buy fruit and vegetables from greengrocers, meat from butchers and bread from bakeries, he said. This behavior, according to Palandöken's statement, causes people to throw away many food items even without opening them at the end of month.

Highlighting that the significance of tradesmen is gradually diminishing for those who move from neighborhoods to housing estates and residences, Palandöken said shopping malls convince people that they buy groceries for less money when they shop wholesale on a monthly basis. Warning consumers against deceptive slogans, he called on people to buy food products from district bazaars or neighborhood shopkeepers instead.