Perfect presents: Lesley Sim (left) attending to a customer at her store. — ART CHEN/The Star
Retail shops see crowds seeking thoughtful keepsakes
PETALING JAYA: With Christmas on the horizon, Malaysians have begun gift shopping for their loved ones, with many still doing it at physical stores, giving the presents an extra personal touch.
Sheryl Sim, 25, has begun her shopping for aromatic candles and diffusers across various stores in Kuala Lumpur to find just the right scents for each of her loved ones.
“I decided to get aromatic candles or diffusers because the warm and refreshing smell should help my loved ones to better relax as a reward for working hard for this year.
“I even plan to put up some of these candles during our annual family Christmas dinner to create a happy atmosphere,” Sim, who works as a data quality executive, said.
Another shopper, who only wanted to be known as Dinesh, 21, wanted to get into the festive spirit by buying gifts for his wife despite his family not traditionally celebrating Christmas.
“Usually, I go for bags or makeup products, but this year I want to get her something extra special, so I’m planning to get her a premium lipstick with my budget of around RM500.
“I will give it to her while we eat at her favourite fancy steak restaurant on Christmas Day,” Dinesh, who works in marketing, said.
Cost engineer Jasmine Ang, 34, said she plans to visit custom gift makers to make unique customised tokens of appreciation like notebooks, keychains and mugs for her loved ones.
“I feel like adding my touch to each of the gifts will help convey my feeling of love and appreciation better. I want my gift to become a memorable note of their end-of-year journey that we can look back on as a cherished memory in the future,” Ang, who lives in Bangi, said.
Consultant Kalai Devi, 55, said she plans to visit some branded mid-range-priced clothing stores to get her loved ones some new clothes for Christmas and to celebrate the upcoming new year.
“While my family does not celebrate Christmas in the religious sense, we love to follow the tradition of exchanging gifts,” she said.
Meanwhile, some gift store workers have also noticed increased crowds as shoppers search for the ideal present for their loved ones.
One such worker, who only wanted to be known as Hannah, 25, said a lot of nearby office workers stopped by the sportswear and athletic lifestyle store she works at to search for gifts.
“They usually have a budget of about RM200 per gift and most usually get sports shoes while we also get quite a few who buy sweatshirts or workout shorts as gifts too. We also get a number of women looking for football club jerseys or shoes for their partners as well,” Hannah said.
Chocolates are also a popular gift this festive season according to a premium chocolate store supervisor named Idzat, 32, who said his store’s Christmas special gift box has been selling like hotcakes.
“Most of the customers usually mix and match the flavours of the chocolate bars inside to match the preferences of their partners.
“We know they are buying it as a Christmas present because the gingerbread man-shaped gift box has been the most popular design among customers this festive season,” he added.
