Customer smokes, roti canai seller bears the loss

KOTA BHARU - A roti canai seller here had to bear a loss of more than 80 percent after the issue of customers smoking in her shop went viral since last week.

The trader, Wan Nurul Hazana Wan Khadir, 35, said that the revenue from the business in the past, which was around RM500 to RM600 a day, was reduced to RM100 a day because the roti canai was not sold out.

She said that the situation also caused sadness for her who was in business to help her uncle, Anuar Hamad, 45, who is a heart patient.

"I don't want to whine, but I need to tell you that due to the increase of hospital staff smoking in the shop, we have lost our income.

"My roti canai stock which is 15 kilograms (kg) is usually used up every day, now not even 2 kg is used up," she said when contacted by Sinar here on Monday.

Hazana said, this incident happened for the first time in her 15 years of doing business in the area even though she had put up a no smoking sign in the shop.

She said that the staff here also regular customers because the restaurant is located near the hospital. Even though not all of them smoke but the actions of some of them make other customers afraid to come.

"The real issue is to tell the staff who smoke cigarettes in the restaurant but I am the one who bears the consequences when customers do not come.

"The people that made this matter viral should be held responsible and think about the impact on traders like me before doing so," she said

Hazana hoped that the situation will not last because she has to pay a salary of RM50 a day to her staff and a shop rent of RM300.

"I also hope that those who made the matter viral will come forward and apologize," she said.