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KUALA LUMPUR: For many urbanites, sundry shops became a thing of the past when hypermarkets soared to popularity a decade ago.

R. Veeni says items like biscuits and milk powder continue to be cheaper at sundry shops

Abdullah Kader Meera says sundry shop owners cannot afford to reduce their prices as they don’t buy in large numbers from suppliers.

Not so for some like Suhaila Mohamed, who still prefers an old sundry shop selling freshly-grated coconut in the morning to the convenience of air-conditioned hypermarkets.

And it is not just about comfort or style.

Suhaila, who shops for her daily necessities at the the Golden Cash and Carry in Subang Jaya, still thinks the sundry shop located five minutes away is a more convenient and familiar option, one that is good for the pocket.

"Contrary to what people say about sundry shops, I still think they are very much in demand. In fact, shopping in sundry shops helps me to save better as I only buy the things I need. I also get to buy them in smaller quantities," she said.
Housewife Zarina Abdullah agrees.

"It is easy to get distracted by the many offers and advertisements in hypermarkets and supermarkets. You always end up buying things that you don't actually need."

R.Veeni, who was buying a few items at the store, said she shopped at various places but found that some items in sundry shops were cheaper.

"Items like biscuits and milk powder tend to be cheaper in sundry shops, while fast-moving goods seem to be cheaper in hypermarkets.

"I also like the fact that we can check the items we are buying and have them packed according to our specifications."

While sundry shops may still have their loyal fans, 47-year-old Abdullah Kader Meera, a sundry shop owner in Shah Alam, said business is not what it used to be like 20 years ago.

"Nowadays, it's a struggle just to survive. The personalised service that we offer is our calling card to keeping our business afloat."

He said hypermarkets had grabbed the bulk of the market share as they continually reduced prices to remain competitive, something which sundry shops cannot afford to do.

"We cannot afford to reduce our prices as we don't buy in large numbers from suppliers, but what we can offer are consistent prices and some unique items not available in hypermarkets or supermarkets."

"For example, we still sell biscuits by the kilogramme, oil lamps and we also try to offer additional services such as photocopying ."

Abdullah said the recent dip in fuel prices has not brought any difference to his business as prices of essential goods were still the same.

A random survey conducted earlier this year by the Consumers Association of Subang and Shah Alam revealed that small-time traders were suffering losses because of the high prices charged by distributors and suppliers.

They had increased their prices when fuel prices soared in June. However, these prices did not go down accordingly when the numerous fuel cuts were made. About 100 out of the 187 participants in the survey lamented that distributors had raised prices by 15 to 30 per cent.

Some sundry shop owners like Tini Mustori, 40, remain optimistic despite the steady decline in revenue for the last three years.

"I still believe there are customers who like the convenience of family-run stores to supermarkets.

"Sundry shops which are strategically located, like near schools, colleges and housing areas, still have a strong chance of survival even if there are hypermarkets nearby," she said, referring to the three hypermarkets within a 8km radius from her shop.

Tini said an average of 400 customers come to her shop daily, but most buy only three or four items each.

"Although we can't always match the prices at the hypermarkets, we try to compensate by giving loyal customers a discount if they buy groceries for RM100 and above."