IT’S less than a week before Hari Raya Aidilfitri – Malaysia’s biggest religious festival – yet the baju Melayu and songkok stalls in Klang’s Jalan Taiping bazaar are mostly deserted.

Shopkeepers like Hani Suffian look on worryingly at the trickle of people visiting the bazaar, one of the largest in the Klang district.

“Last year, the bazaar was full of people during the second half of the fasting month but today, just look around, there are more stalls and sellers than there are customers,” said Hani.

“Maybe people are waiting till the last minute to come and get bargains,” said the 24-year-old who sells baju Melayu.

Hani’s worries are echoed by other traders in popular Ramadan and Aidilfitri bazaars in Shah Alam and Kuala Lumpur, who are already seeing lower sales this year.

This is in stark contrast to last Ramadan and Hari Raya, which took place about three weeks after the historic May 9 general election, with the first change in government.

The festival also took place during the three-month tax break between June and August, after Pakatan Harapan ended the goods and services tax (GST) before it reintroduced the sales and services tax (SST).

A similar survey last year by The Malaysian Insight found that the sense of euphoria from these two events loosened the purse strings, leading traders to experience an uptick in sales.

This year, about nine out of 10 traders in Klang, Shah Alam and Kuala Lumpur surveyed by TMI said sales are down compared with last year. They also said there was none of last year’s celebratory mood.

But consumers themselves appear more upbeat. Although half of those interviewed said they are buying fewer clothes, cookies and accessories this year, the Hari Raya mood was still as cheerful as ever.

Almost all of the 10 consumers interviewed in Klang, Shah Alam and Kuala Lumpur felt that they were just as happy this Raya as compared with last year.

“Whether or not things are expensive or not, the Raya mood is still the same. I will still be happy after a whole month of fasting,” said Mohd Radzi, from Puncak Alam as he pushed a stroller through the Seksyen 7 Hari Raya bazaar in Shah Alam with his wife.

“I’m buying less clothes for my kid because they went up in price. But I still think the mood is just as happy as last year.”

Spending less but still happy

TMI surveyed 10 traders and 10 families in popular bazaars in Klang, Shah Alam and Kuala Lumpur. Consumers were asked on whether they were spending more or less and what they thought of the Aidilfitri mood this year.

The 10 merchants in the same locations were surveyed on their expected sales this year compared with last year and their impression on this year’s mood.

Of the 10 shoppers, seven said they budgeted the same amount this year while two allocated less.

Factory supervisor Ridzwan Malik in Klang was the sole shopper whose budget increased this year because his company gave a higher Hari Raya bonus.

Half of the consumers surveyed said they bought less this year because clothes cost more.

“This year, I’m only buying one set for each of my two children,” said businessman Isa Sharif, who explained that in past years he could afford to buy two sets of clothes for his son and daughter.

Half of the consumers interviewed felt that prices, especially for clothes and accessories, such as songkok and headscarves, had gone up by up to 10%.

Others like pensioner Mohd Ali Majid of Kuala Lumpur said three of his adult children could only visit one household this year because of the increasing cost of travel and food.

“Usually, my kids can visit me on the first day of Raya and then visit their in-laws on the third or fourth day. Now they can only afford to visit one family,” said the 71-year-old from Ampang.

But when asked whether they felt the euphoric mood is missing this year, nine said this Raya is still cheerful.

“No matter what, Hari Raya is still Hari Raya and you have to spend. And every year we’re still happy,” said Klang taxi driver Mahad Kalimun, 46, as he lugged bags of Raya clothes he had bought for his three children.

Splitting business

But the mood among traders is the opposite, where nine out of 10 said plunging sales translate into a gloomier Raya.

“This year is really down and sales have decreased in the tens of thousands of ringgit,” said baju Melayu seller Fikri Hanafi in Shah Alam. He blames the city council’s poor planning of the Seksyen 7 bazaar for a drop in visitors.

“They don’t allow hawkers or food trucks to set up shop. This makes the area less attractive for shoppers.”

Of the 10 traders TMI interviewed, all but one said sales are down this year.

In Kuala Lumpur, the popular Masjid India bazaar has been split with two-thirds of the traders moved to Dataran Merdeka to relieve congestion in the area.

But tudung seller Suariah Mat Amin said this also split shoppers with the bulk of them now congregating at Dataran Merdeka and ignoring the shops along Jalan Masjid India.

“Shoppers are focusing on Dataran and less are coming here. In the past, we would be open till midnight. But now, we close at 7pm because of how slow things are,” said Suariah, 47.

“In the past, we could earn about RM10,000 in sales on the weekend but now we struggle to even reach RM500.”

But traders who shifted to the Dataran Merdeka bazaar, such as Mohd Zaidi Mohd Noor, are also struggling.

The 46-year-old cookie seller used to be able to sell 40 jars of goodies per day in past years when he set up his stall in Jalan Masjid India.

“But now I can sell between 20 and 30 jars per day even though I haven’t increased prices for the past five years.” – May 30, 2019.