DONNA Adlina Hasin, 45, is unpacking a stack of clothes at a shop in Lorong Tuanku Abdul Rahman when a customer stops by to ask about the price of a baju kurung on display.
She happily attends to the customer while also showing other traditional clothes on sale at the shop in Kuala Lumpur’s shopping hotspot.
“I have worked here for four years.
“There was a huge drop in sales in the last two years because of the Covid-19 pandemic and various movement control orders.
“Many are unsure if business will return to pre-pandemic days now that restrictions are relaxed,” she said.
The mother of two from Kepong is among many workers in Lorong TAR who are hoping for brisk sales this Ramadan.
“We have unsold stock from last year. If we get more customers, we might consider closing later than usual,” she added.
Another worker Noor Azura Nordin, 32, hopes Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) will allow the shops to extend business hours this year.
“Before the pandemic, shops here opened until 4am in the days leading up to Hari Raya Aidilfitri to cater to last-minute shoppers.
“Nowadays, we close around 8pm daily.
“We are anticipating higher footfall this year, especially beginning the third week of April,” she said.
Azura also said that there was an increase in the prices of traditional wear due to higher cost of fabrics.
“Traders have no choice but to raise their prices to cover operating costs,” she explained.
Suriati Rasunan, 46, said prices of imported items, too, had gone up.
“For example, kain pelikat from Indonesia used to cost RM10 a piece but is RM13 now,” she said, adding that customers had complained about the price hike.
Nevertheless, Suriati is optimistic that sales will be better than last year as people are shopping to prepare to balik kampung this year.
“We are confident that the footfall will skyrocket in the third week of Ramadan,” she added.
Abdul Karim Ruslan, 18, described the increase in prices as minimal and unlikely to deter customers.
“We are stocking up on the latest kurta and baju melayu designs to attract shoppers,” he said.
Operators will once again have to deal with the annual Hari Raya bazaar set up in front of their shops.
Metal fences that were put up to demarcate the bazaar from the shops have since been removed by DBKL.
DBKL, in a statement on Thurs-day, said the fences would be removed following complaints from shopowners.
It said five entry points to the bazaar would be available.
The bazaar, spanning from Campbell Complex to the Malayan Mansion in Jalan Masjid India, is open from today until May 2.
