A date seller (third from left) displaying fresh dates to a customer, while two other customers check product prices.
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KUALA LUMPUR: Ramadan bazaars seem to have lost their buzz.
An annual, month-long phenomenon which offers the best in local hawker cuisine, festival-related products and various local traditional paraphernalia, Ramadan bazaars have become synonymous with the fasting month, and are looked forward to by Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
The narrow alleyways of the average Ramadan bazaar are often crowded with jostling shoppers who heed the calls of boisterous hawkers announcing their wares from their small stands, which stand cheek-by-jowl with each other. It is a lively scene of various sights, scents and sounds that are uniquely Malaysian.
But a quick survey at the more prominent Ramadan bazaars which began operating in the city several days ago reveal a very different picture. Far from being hives of activity, the bazaars are a pale facsimile of their former selves, subdued by a noticeable slump in customers. In fact, some bazaars seem virtually deserted.
And the reason for the dearth of patrons is likely the recent hike in prices of various commodities, which have made consumers think twice about purchasing once-cheap Ramadan bazaar products they were once able to snap up without hesitation.
On the second day of the month of Ramadan this year, the Masjid Jamek Ramadan bazaar, which would otherwise have been bustling, saw only a handful of customers. This is bad news for stall operators.
Azmil Sayuti, 27, who runs a stall selling imported dates and dry fruits, said the recent spike in inflation is the reason why business at the bazaar is poor compared to previous years.
"I have not raised the price of my goods like many others have. But still, the bazaar here seems so quiet," he said.
Azmil, who has been doing business here for the last nine Ramadan months, said that even the food and beverage stalls -- traditionally, the most popular among bazaar customers -- are only netting half the customers they once did.
In fact, business is so slow that some stall owners were seen napping or chatting idly with coworkers, with not a single customer to be seen.
Another stall operator, Shah- amirul Azlina Mohd Sharif, 22, who sells head scarves, expressed her worry over the turn of events.
"If we raise our prices, we might go home with no sales, as customers are only interested in items sold at last year's prices. But if we don't raise prices, we won't make a profit, so it's a lose-lose situation," she said.
By 6pm, which should have been the peak time for business, only a few customers were seen browsing the stalls. Several sales were seen taking place, but they were the stall owners themselves buying food from fellow hawkers to prepare for breaking fast.
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