JOHOR BARU: The rainy spell is proving to be a bane to traders and street vendors, with many reporting losses.
Johor Baru Bazaar Karat Development and Welfare Association president Fuad Rahmat said the popular flea market here, which is also visited by foreign tourists, was badly affected by the weather.
“We have over 200 stalls with a variety of offerings such as food and drinks, clothes, accessories and other interesting items.
“However, the rain has had a bad impact, especially during the evenings when it starts to pour,” he said when contacted.
Fuad said storms with strong winds were causing the number of visitors to dwindle, adding that there was not enough shelter as business was conducted in the open.
“The number of visitors depends on the weather. It will usually decrease when it rains as people tend to avoid open areas,” he said.
“The decline can be up to 50% depending on the rain’s intensity. If the rain persists, traders usually do not even open their stalls,” he lamented.
Fuad said there were traders at the bazaar who reported up to 50% drop in income with those selling clothes and accessories the most affected.
He added the association was advising the traders to be alert and vigilant on directives issued by the authorities as the monsoon intensifies.
“This is because their goods can be damaged with more bad weather around the corner,” said Fuad.
“We have advised them to shut their stalls if the situation turns bad, and move on to an online platform we have provided, or through their respective social media channels,” he added.
Johor Indian Petty Traders and Small Business Association chairman D. Ravindran said its members who operate at pasar malam in major locations within Johor Baru were also affected due to the persistent rain.
“The rain usually starts late evening and lasts until late night. This is affecting our traders who have suffered losses of between 40% and 60%.
“The bad weather has forced many of them to close as customers will not come,” he said, adding that he expected the weather to continue to be bad in the period ahead.
“What we can do now is to follow the weather reports closely and adhere to the instructions coming from authorities, which is for our own safety,” Ravindran said.
