Trader grumbles dwindling profits due to fiercer marketplace cause by Covid-19 pandemic

SHAH ALAM - The Covid-19 outbreak has caused many among the rakyat to lose their jobs and subsequently made them more desperate.

The situation has forced many to start their own small businesses in order to survive but this droves fiercer competition in the marketplace.

A night market trader, Rusyati Buhari, 54, admitted that her income has not recovered since the Covid-19 pandemic began.

Although the government has allowed night market traders to operate, their sales were not as before, partly due to the number of new traders entering the market, said Rusyati.

“Since Covid-19 began, many people are forced to quit and they venture into the same business, which leaves the customers with a huge amount of choice to buy from.

“We have to compete with new traders who sell the same products as us.

“Our income is affected due to the situation and we have to find other alternatives to sell our products,” she said.

Apart from selling at morning and night markets, Rusyati also takes orders from customers through WhatsApp and delivers them to their houses.

Meanwhile, a mechanic, Mohd Aiman Asyraf Ezani, 21, had to resort to fixing cars at his home as he is unable to pay rent for a proper workshop since the Movement Control Order (MCO) was first implemented.

“During that time, the workshop was not allowed to operate so my daily income was affected and I could not pay for the monthly rental of the workshop.

“So I decided to repair cars at home,” he said.

Mohd Aiman Asyraf admitted that he needs at least a year before he can start renting a workshop as he is worried MCO will be implemented again.