Sweet sales: Customers picking their favourite kuih, priced at 10sen per piece, at Roslina’s stall at the Felda Lubuk Merbau Ramadan bazaar in Sik, Kedah.
ALOR SETAR: Fancy some mouth-watering Malay kuih for just 10sen? Welcome to the “kuih sekupang” stall at the Felda Lubok Merbau Ramadan bazaar in Sik.
Stall owner Roslina Saad, 54, sells 15 types of traditional Malay treats, including buah melaka (onde onde), cucur badak, curry puffs, habuk-habuk and kuih lopes – and all for just “sekupang”, or 10sen in the northern dialect.
Understandably, her kuih would be sold out in just a few hours.
With the increasingly high cost of living these days, how does she manage it?
“Many people have been asking whether I could make a living by selling so cheap.
“The answer is yes if I am selling in great quantity. My intentions are not solely about profit.
“I am selling it at this price because I want to help the underprivileged and the poor too,” said Roslina.
“Selling cheaply is to ensure others get to enjoy these sweet treats during the holy month of Ramadan.”
She has been selling the traditional delicacies at 10sen each in many Ramadan bazaars and night markets for the past 20 years.
“My business also helps create jobs for the others in my village to earn some income,” she said.
Roslina has five workers, with two helping out at the stall and three others preparing the delicacies at her house.
The response has been overwhelming, with some 6,000 pieces of kuih being sold daily since the first day of Ramadan.
“We spend about four to five hours at home making the delicacies daily.
“After that, another two workers help me at the stall from 2pm until we finish selling everything,” she said.
Roslina said she would maintain the price for the sake of her regular customers.
“Profits are low but as long as I can still sustain, I’ll continue to do this.
“Life is hard and money is tight for everyone. I’ll do whatever I can to ensure customers get to sample these delicacies during this period of time,” she said.
