With Hari Raya around the corner, some stall owners are seeing brisk business.SINGAPORE: With Hari Raya around the corner, some stall owners are seeing brisk business with the rush from last-minute shoppers pushing sales up by about 50 per cent.One firm, Mdm Ling Bakery, decided to open a temporary physical booth beyond its online store during the last days leading to the festival and is reaping some rewards.
Some shoppers CNA spoke to said prices are up by about 10 per cent from last year, but they did not mind spending a bit more on the annual celebrations. Some understood that steeper prices were due to the Goods and Services Tax hike that kicked in this year. Profits at Zeeshan Impex, which sells traditional baju kurung outfits, are down about 20 per cent even with slashed prices, said its owner Mohamad Raffi.
“We don't make much margins. There are also less customers. Everyone complained about having less business. Even with my shop at the front, there's still not many customers like last year,” he lamented.