KOTA KINABALU:It seems that the people are slowly ditching the ‘last-minute shopping’ habit as many are already seen crowding shopping stores although the festivity is a couple of months away.
In fact, a textile’s senior salesperson disclosed that the people started their Raya shopping a week before the fasting month even began.
“People had started coming into the shop looking for ready-made attire since last month, the numbers increased a week before Ramadan,” said the 30-year-old Sabturanah Kennedy who is attached to the Kedai Kain Mewah in Segama, here.
She said they had started taking out the baju kurung moden and baju melayu on the last week of June.
“The number of people shopping the Raya attire may not be that many, but they said it was so much better than rushing at the last minute. Plus, they want to avoid the traffic jam,” she said.
However, having said that, based on previous experiences, Sabturanah expects the shop to be packed with customers at least a week or two before Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
On fashion, she said they have decided to put out more baju kurung modern and baju melayu as the demand was so much higher compared to the demand for traditional baju kurung.
“But of course, we also have traditional baju kurung and jubah (robes) for those who prefer that kind of fashion,” she said, adding that there are about 2,000 pieces of baju Raya will be put on display at the shop.
Apart from attires, she added that curtains are also in high demand.
“Since it is still the first week of Ramadan, people would normally buy clothes and sew their own curtains, but come the third week, customers would definitely put ready-made ones into their carts,” she said.
Sabturanah said it is normal to take in a few extra hands, especially part-time staff, to work when festivities are approaching.
“We could use as many extra hands as possible because there are bound to be a lot of customers doing their shopping,” she said.
Meanwhile, several customers agreed that early shopping is less stressful.
“We can pick and choose as there are a lot to select from. Plus I am worried that we will not be able to shop for Raya attires if we do last minute shopping,” said Faiza Harun, 32, when met at the shop while choosing Raya attires for the whole family.
The mother of two, however, said that most importantly was to find a ready-made Raya attires for her daughters, before she focused on buying for her husband and herself.
“Since I already have a theme colour, it is easier to find matching attires now as the shop is not that congested and there are a lot to choose from,” she said.
Faiza, a teacher, said like the previous years, she had intended to send her family’s Raya attire to the tailors but unfortunately, all have stopped taking bookings.