DEEPAVALI traders are seeing the brisk sale of traditional clothes and accessories despite shoppers tightening their purse strings this year.

A straw poll by The Malaysian Insight of traders at bazaars in Kuala Lumpur and Penang found that most sellers are optimistic about finishing their stock and turning a profit.

Vellagan Aroaiam in Seberang Prai, Penang, is happy that his clothes are a hit not just with Indians, but also Chinese and Malays.

“I know that people do not want to fork out too much money on clothes, so we sell at reasonable prices. My prices are around RM100, so people can afford them,” said the 64-year old, who also operates a stall in Bagan Ajam apart from the one in Butterworth.

“The Deepavali clothes are popular among all races – Malays, Chinese and Indians – and so far, business is okay.”

A merchant operating from the stall next door, R. Valarummathi, said he had earlier anticipated how thrifty and choosy customers would be, and selected his supplier carefully.

“I have a supplier that can give me low prices, but the quality of the products is acceptable. Sales have been okay so far,” said the 32-year-old, adding that he also offers deals to attract buyers.

“There are children’s clothes that are buy one, free one, and three shirts cost RM100. I can still turn a profit this Deepavali even though my stall is a bit hidden from customers’ view.”

In Kuala Lumpur, Manimegalai Annamalai is enjoying good sales thanks to his bet on kurtas over punjabi suits and sarees.

“I took in about 5,000 units this year, and I’ve sold half. I’m confident of selling them all,” said the 46-year-old, who runs a stall in Brickfields.

He said he was able to get a good price for the bulk purchase from India as he placed his order early.

A poll of 10 families found that many are cutting back on their Deepavali shopping due to the higher prices of fresh food, as well as sweets and cookies, this year.

Some said they are not buying as many outfits and decorations this time around.

Sharma Maniam, 30, who sells decorations at a Brickfields stall, confirmed the trend.

“Customers are buying necessities, such as clothes and food. They are reusing decorations from last year.

“I’ve started to reduce my prices so that I can finish up my stock. It’s better to make less money than having leftover stock.”

The Lebuh Ampang-Masjid Jamek bazaar in Kuala Lumpur, however, is seeing a lot fewer shoppers.

“You can see for yourself that there are not many people coming in, and it’s only a few more days to Deepavali,” said Bama, who works at one of the stalls.

“It has been very bad. We could easily make RM10,000 a day before, but now, we are struggling to hit even RM3,000.”

She said prices at her stall are mostly the same as last year, but this has not helped increase sales.

“The prices are more or less the same. It’s just that people no longer have the purchasing power they used to have. Many are also unemployed. As you can see, everything is on sale.” – October 26, 2019.