Sudden Hari Raya Announcement Boon For Small Traders In Kl

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Ramadan bazaar traders in Kuala Lumpur enjoyed brisk business last night with many people desperate to finish their shopping. (Bernama pic)PETALING JAYA: The announcement that Hari Raya Aidilfitri begins today turned out to be a boon for many small traders in Kuala Lumpur as people rushed to settle their last-minute shopping last night.
Mohamad Abdullah, who heads an association representing Malay traders in the city, said many people had no option but to head to the Ramadan bazaar around the Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and Jalan Masjid India areas.
“Many of the big stores were closed, so everyone rushed here for their last-minute shopping.
“For those who had to cook, it might have been a bit inconvenient. But for the traders, their goods were selling like hotcakes,” said Mohamad, who is president of the Federal Territory Malay Hawkers and Petty Traders Association.
He told FMT that the over 1,000 traders in the area would usually not be able to sell off all their products but this was not the case last night.
“There were some customers who were only supposed to fly to their hometowns tonight. So they ended up coming over to the bazaar last night to buy goods for their ad hoc Hari Raya celebrations this morning.”
Yesterday’s announcement that Hari Raya would be today instead of tomorrow led to mild panic on social media, with many saying they had been caught off guard and were not prepared.
Many Malaysians took to social media last night talking about the disruption to their original plan to do more Raya shopping today.
Others said they were rushing to buy chicken and other ingredients for meals they had planned for the first day of Raya, thinking they could still do it today.
“I too was caught off guard, but we should not blame anyone.
“To me, we should take this as a lesson to be better prepared and not wait till the last minute,” Mohamad said. - FMT

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