The Malaysian Insight

IF not for a passion for small fish, Dehyatul Qolbi Hassanuddin’s songkok business would have been underwater because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Like almost all businesses nationwide, Dehyatul’s small clothing and songkok shop lost all its customers when the pandemic forced an eight-week shutdown of most of the economy.

The movement-control order (MCO) continued into the first week of Ramadan and devastated tailors, cookie and cake-makers and clothing merchants who depend on Ramadan and Hari Raya sales.

The MCO was enforced on March 18 to break the chain of Covid-19 infections, which have so far sickened 6,978 and killed 114.

Seven of the 10 merchants interviewed in a straw poll by The Malaysian Insight said their entire investment for the year has been wiped out.

Some are unsure whether they will make enough to pay the rent, utility bills and wages as sales have dropped by 50% to 90%.

Dehyatul, from Klang, would have been one of those traders caught in the same situation except that late last year, he started selling supplies for aquascapes – the art of creating underwater gardens in aquariums.

“Aquascaping has always been my hobby and I only turned it into a business late last year. A few months later, the MCO was enforced,” said Dehyatul when met at his stall in Pasar Jawa in downtown Klang, Selangor.

“Thankfully, I started the aquascape business. The online sales from that managed to make up for the 50% loss of sales from my songkok business,” said the 32-year-old.

“I could sell aquascape supplies online whereas with songkoks, buyers have to come and try it for themselves before they buy,” he said.

During the MCO, Dehyatul sold and shipped hundreds of tiny fish and prawns used by aquascape enthusiasts all over Malaysia and the proceeds helped his songkok business stay afloat.

Dehyatul was one of the three interviewees optimistic about surviving the loss of business during Aidilfitri until year-end.

Praying for the best

The rest said they could only pray they would not have to close shop for good.

Yusnimar Tahir, a tailor from Kuala Lumpur, said he is getting ready to pawn his jewellery and dig into his savings if sales are not enough to sustain his business.

“My sales have gone down by 80%. I won’t recover my investments,” said the 56-year-old.

Other tailors like Ruslaili Tahir, 60, and Hayati Shuaidi, 52 lost 80% and 90% of their usual sales compared with last year as customers cut back on spending.

“I hope that I can get some help from the authorities, as I depend on this as my source of income. I pray that there is some light at the end of the tunnel,” said Ruslaili.  

At the popular Ramadan and Aidfitri shopping haunts in Little India in Kuala Lumpur, PKNS in Shah Alam and Pasar Jawa in Klang, the crowds have thinned compared with previous years when roads would be gridlocked with vehicles.

On the previous weekend before Nea Sarmin reopened her clothing and tailoring shop in Seksyen 1, Shah Alam, traffic looked encouraging.

“But the crowds did not translate into more sales for me, unlike past years. Ever since I started my business in 2017, every Ramadan, my staff would open in the morning and sew till 1am,” said the 50-year-old.

“But this year, after buka puasa, there is hardly anyone shopping here and we close early. My sales have dropped by 50%.”

Cookie and kerepek sellers, such as Helmi Md Amin, are also seeing a similar drop in business not just because of the decrease in customers.

The Klang Municipal Council (MPK) has ordered that shops like his in Pasar Jawa to close at 6pm daily even during Ramadan to prevent crowds.

In past years, the shops in Pasar Jawa as well as the Jalan Taiping Aidilfitri and Ramadan bazaar would stay open until 1am during Ramadan.

“This has been the most difficult year in the history of my family’s business. Even our customers are staying away because they are still scared of the virus,” said the 37-year-old who took over from his father.

Regulars, online sales

Like Dehyatul, merchants able to minimise the economic impact of the pandemic have either regular customers or moved some of their business online during the MCO.

Klang-based Asma Ismam started selling her kerepek and cookies online during the MCO so that her stock would not go to waste.

“The shelf life of my kerepek is only about one month because there are no preservatives. I managed to sell half my stock online while the rest I gave away to others because I did not want them to go to waste,” said Asma.

When she reopened her shop in Pasar Jawa, her regulars returned and even with the limited opening hours set by MPK, her sales allowed her to recoup her costs.    

In Shah Alam, Atiekah Shukri estimates that the clothing boutique she manages will only lose about 5% of sales this year.

“We’ve been operating since 2013 and we’ve built up a loyal customer base since then for our clothes, which are designed and made in China and South Korea,” said Atiekah.

“During the MCO, we also did online sales and the response was encouraging. In fact, during some of the days we’ve reopened since the MCO, we sold more than we expected.”  

Atiekah said although this Raya is the gloomiest she can recall, her customers seem to be insistent on making the best out of the situation.

“They are not be spending like they did before because they’re on a tight budget. But they still want new clothes for Hari Raya because to them, whatever happens, they still want to ber-raya (celebrate).” – May 20, 2020.