#JendelaRamadan: Smaller portions, not our intention to cheat - Traders

The crowd at Ramadan bazaars nationwide are still going strong even though we have entered the second week of the holy month.

Throngs of people are seen - be it Muslims or people of other faiths – converging at the annual gathering of food stalls that offer a variety of scrumptious and mouth-watering delicacies for the breaking of fast.

The main reason why these bazaars are so popular – apart from the variety of delicious food on offer – is that most people, especially city dwellers, do not have enough time to cook in time for ‘iftar’.

But despite its popularity, patrons have complained that prices have increased compared to previous years.

Traders blamed it on raw materials becoming more expensive of late and as a result, they were forced to decrease the portions of dishes or increase the price tag.

It’s an adjustment, they said, to achieve a win-win situation between traders and patrons.

A trader, who only wants to be known as Halim, explained price adjustments have had to be made, receiving the ire of many of his loyal customers.

“This year the cheapest I can sell is RM5. Last year I sold prawn or squid ‘sambal’ for only RM3. It’s not that I’m being greedy or wanting to cheat my customers but I am forced to do so due to the high cost of raw materials,” he said when contacted by Astro AWANI.

For more interesting content, go to Jendela Ramadan

Bazar Ramadan

Traders blamed it on raw materials becoming more expensive of late and as a result, they were forced to decrease the portions of dishes or increase the price tag- File Pic

Halim admitted he had been accused to cheating but he is forced to do so in order to survive.

“There are those who have accused me of cheating. If I sell at RM3, then I am forced to reduce the portion. Sometimes customers ask for more, in this case I am forced to readjust the cost.

“I’m not being stingy but I also have children to feed and workers to pay,” he added.

Bazar Ramadan

Netizens had previously lashed out on social media complaining at the exorbitant fees charged by traders at Ramadan bazaars. - File Pic

Traditional cake seller, Zaiton meanwhile said, she also had to reduce the number of cakes she sells this year in order to match last year’s prices.

“This year I am forced to reduce the number of cakes I sell to match last year’s price. For example, if last year I sold five cakes for RM2, this year I can only give four cakes for the same price.

“Sometimes traders reduce the portion of goods so that they can sell their goods cheaper. Such as the photo of a curry puff with minimal filling that went viral on social media sites.

“It’s not our intention to cheat our customers. Please don’t accuse us of that. We are forced to reduce the portion of our dishes due to the hike in prices of several ingredients,” she added.

Drinks seller Malek however said, the price hike did not affect beverages at his stall.

“The prices of drinks are the same as last year at RM3 a pack. We still maintained the amount of sugar and ice in each pack,” he said.

Netizens had previously lashed out on social media sites complaining at the exorbitant fees charged by traders at Ramadan bazaars.