Spoilt for choice: Zulkifli entertaining a customer visiting his booth that sells cookies and cakes at Angsana Mall, Johor Baru.
JOHOR BARU: With Hari Raya Aidilfitri just a couple of weeks away, sales of cookies and cakes are soaring as people begin making preparations for the festive season.
Among them was Singaporean Faridah Ibrahim, 57, who said Johor is her favourite destination to shop for Raya goodies.
“I like coming over to Johor Baru because there are so many places, from shopping malls to bakeries, to get my Raya cookies and cakes,” she said when met here on Wednesday.
Faridah added that she has allocated about RM600 for the baked goods to be given to close family members and friends.
Housewife Fadzira Salleh, 35, said she has decided to go for early preparations this year to avoid the last-minute frenzy.
“This time around, I am buying cookies and kerepek early. Last year, I shopped for them only a few days before Raya and there were not many options left.
“At least buying cookies like pineapple tarts, almond London and kerepek pisang early will help me focus on other tasks later,” she said.
Another homemaker, Siti Norashidah Aziz, 41, said she goes to bazaars or shopping malls around the city area here to get the delectable stuff after sending her children to school.
“I prefer buying from booths than online platforms because I can see the wide variety of traditional and modern delights available,” she said.
Meanwhile, local entrepreneur Zulkifli Mohd Hafan, 47, said he has 20 years’ experience baking and selling cookies and cakes.
“I have more than 60 types of cakes and over 40 kinds of kerepek which I am selling at the Hari Raya bazaar at Angsana Mall.
“People already started buying cookies, cakes and chips from the first week of Ramadan,” he said, adding that about 80% of his customers were Singaporeans.
Zulkifli said he started making preparations, including getting the ingredients, during the recent Chinese New Year celebration.
“Just two weeks before fasting month began, I made all these goodies at my house to be sold at the bazaar here, something that I have been doing for about 20 years now.
“It has been a very busy time, especially during the weekends, with local and Singaporean shoppers,” he said.
Based on his experience, Zulkifli said he expects many people rushing to get these items even late in the fasting month.
“Usually, most of the cookies and cakes will be sold out just a few days before Hari Raya Aidilfitri,” he said.
