MBSJ has made it mandatory for Ramadan bazaar traders to incorporate ewallet as a form of cashless payment.
JAMALUDDIN Abdul Rahman, who offers Menu Rahmah at his USJ 4 Ramadan bazaar stall in Subang Jaya, Selangor, is happy to do so as everyone is facing financial and economic challenges.
The 70-year-old sells nasi ayam goreng kunyit for RM5 per box at the bazaar located in Jalan USJ 4/5.
“I want to sell food that is affordable to the people. I won’t be suffering any losses, as the food portion has been adjusted according to the price,” he said.
He added that he sold the same dish for RM6 last year and received good response.
Customer Nor Hamah, 55, said what was important was the taste and quality of the food.
“Menu Rahmah is a great initiative. However, if the food served is not palatable, I feel it’s not worth buying despite the cheap price,” she said.
Although the Menu Rahmah initiative could be done, some vendors have raise prices to sustain profit.
Zainal Abidin, 48, who runs a stall selling sotong kangkung and tauhu sumbat, said he had no choice but to increase his selling price this year.
“Everything in the market has gone up. If I sell my food at the previous year’s price, I will gain very little profit.
“My sotong kangkung was previously sold at RM10. Now it’s priced at RM12,” he said.
The USJ 4 Ramadan bazaar is one of the biggest under Subang Jaya City Council’s (MBSJ) purview, with 157 registered traders. It is frequented mostly by people living and working nearby.
Traders are required to wear face masks. However, StarMetro observed that not everyone adhered to this state guideline. MBSJ has also banned the use of polystyrene packaging and plastic straws at all Ramadan bazaars.
In an effort to encourage cashless transactions, MBSJ instructed traders to offer ewallet and other online payment methods.
A customer who wanted to be known only as Puteri, 25, was supportive of the use of cashless payment as it provided many benefits, but said it was handy to have some cash as backup.
“I usually don’t bring any cash to a Ramadan bazaar as I am hoping all stalls will allow payment via ewallet.
“Even so, online banking can be a hassle at times so it’s best to bring cash, just in case,” said the 25-year-old, who was seen queueing up at a popular stall selling murtabak.
MBSJ has made it mandatory for Ramadan bazaar traders to incorporate ewallet as a form of cashless payment.
Traders at MBSJ’s Ramadan bazaars are required to wear face masks in observing the state government’s directive for hygiene reasons.
The USJ 4 Ramadan bazaar is one of the biggest in areas under MBSJ's purview, with 152 registered traders.
Azmi Murtabak, is one of the more popular stalls at the USJ 4 Ramadan bazaar.
Azmi Murtabak, one of the more popular stalls at the USJ 4 Ramadan bazaar, sells murtabak with beef or chicken filling.
Jamaluddin's nasi ayam goreng kunyit is sold for RM5 under the Menu Rahmah.
Jamaluddin (left) says he will not suffer losses offering RM5 for his nasi ayam goreng kunyit, as the food portion has been adjusted according to the price.
A variety of local kuih are among the break of fast treats found at the USJ 4, Ramadan bazaar. – Photos: ART CHEN/The Star
