Three decades of selling from floating mini shop for a livelihood
MUKAH: It has been a routine for a senior citizen every morning for 30 years to ride a small boat down the Batang Mukah to sell goods to villagers in the interior.
Some readers are surely confused as to how does one go for grocery shopping down the river.
While most people are impressed with floating markets overseas, this is not something new for the 62-year-old Kueh Beng Siong.
Since the age of 32, Kueh who is affectionately known as Ah Peng, would start his day around 7.30am down the river passing through Kampung Sesok Baru, Kampung Penakub Ulu, Kampung Tegak, Kampung Teh and Kampung Sau with a boat full of grocery items.
The villagers would often shout ‘Ah Peng! Ah Peng!’ as soon as the sound of his boat is within hearing distance. Ah Peng would then stop at the jetty or a jelatong — a toilet on the riverbank — or anywhere he could to meet the needs of his customers.
Ah Peng! Oh, Ah Peng!
Ah Peng, who hails from Kampung Penakub Bazaar, admitted that his small business activities that move through waterways have significantly helped raise all six of his children. He now has 12 grandchildren.
He is the only owner of a mini shop on a boat that still exists today and Ah Peng believes that as long as he has the strength despite his health problems, he will continue with his small business which has accommodated to his daily life needs.
“I have been trading for more than three decades. It started after my dad’s grocery store was no longer popular after the building of a small road.
“The idea came with the availability of a boat. I took advantage of the river in this village to reach the hinterland to sell groceries.
“In the past, when there were no paved roads, residents in Kampung Sau up to Jebungan would take a boat to come here to buy goods as early as 5am or 6am in the morning. That’s when I thought, why don’t I go to them?
“I started trading along the river when my second child was two years old until now. However, there is less response now because there are roads that connect to the villages here,” he said.
A reporter from New Sarawak Tribune’s sister paper, Suara Sarawak went to Ah Peng’s house and had the opportunity to go on a boat ride with him for the day. The boat was full of grocery items including cooking gas cylinders.
Whilst following Ah Peng on his rounds, the reporter heard frequent calls for ‘Ah Peng’ — and most them are housewives.
“Many of the villagers are familiar with me. I was able to make friends with them. I would chat with the customers, who are mostly farmers or sago growers. Most of them would head into the forest around 9am.
“We would share stories and after they went off, I would continue my journey down the river. I believe everyone has their own ways of making a living.
“For those who grew up and have been around the villages along Batang Mukah for a long time, they have known me since childhood.
“Nowadays, there are no greetings from the children. They prefer to play with gadgets and have fun on the Internet,” he added.
I am the boss, I am the worker
Although he uses three of his boats interchangeably, Ah Peng admitted that his business activities may not continue if these become damaged, worn out or if there are no longer demand from the public.
“If the condition of the boats gets worse, I will probably stop. Many of my customers ask me why I do not make a new boat. I would tell them that it is not because I do not want to, but I am not as strong as I used to be.
“I am old and I cannot do heavy work. I have a history of congestive heart failure for the past six years so I have to be careful.
“I am my own boss and worker so I set the time for me to leave and return home. My daily routine usually starts at 7.30am until 2.30pm. There used to be a lot of people waiting at the jetty but now it’s less. This is why I now limit my movement to Kampung Teh Labah and before 10am, I would return,” he said.
Buy first, pay later
Ah Peng believes that the services he provides help the people who are in need of essential goods and this is why he offers the ‘buy first, pay later’ option.
This means Ah Peng allows his customers to pay for essential goods in instalments.
“I know many customers who work in the oil palm plantations. I allow them to take the goods they need then pay for it later after they received their salaries.
“These people really need my mini shop because it makes things easier for those who live far away from the Mukah market. My regular customers are farmers and villagers who are staying in the rural areas of Mukah.
“They trust in me and I trust in them so both parties are equally considerate. This is why they can pay back later,” he added.
Various necessary items
For the villagers, they call it a floating shop because it sells various necessities, especially kitchen items.
Among the items that Ah Peng have in his boat are rice, bread, sugar, salt, dry cakes, drinking water, instant noodles, crackers, cooking oil, soap, laundry detergent, eggs, chicken feed and more.
“I used to sell fishing rods, including sewing tools and needles, but now there are not so much demand for those items.
“Thirty years ago, I would earn more than RM500 a day and it felt like a huge profit. Now RM400 to RM500 a day seems to be of small value because of the high cost of living,” he added.
One of the senior villagers, Suda Gain, 65, pointed out that Ah Peng’s service has been operating for a long time since his father’s time.
“I used to always buy things from him. He also helped us a lot, especially those who are far from the Mukah market. Everyone in this village knows him,” he said.
When visiting Ah Peng’s house, he proudly showed off his chickens.
“After I am done with my selling activities, I spend time with my chickens. It’s been my hobby since I was a child to look after the chickens.
“I also sell cockerels at RM200 to RM300 each,” he said.
Permanent customers
Just like other traders, Ah Peng was also affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, especially during the movement control order (MCO) period as he was unable to go out and conduct his business.
“If I have to take a break, the villagers would know if they don’t see my boat at a certain time. Usually, I would be at the jetty by 8am to 10am in the morning.
“Sometimes when I let some of the villagers know that I would not be out on the river, they would inform others as well,” he added.
Ah Peng also expressed his appreciation to all of the villagers in Mukah who have helped him a lot over the 30 years he has been in business.
“My customers come from various backgrounds. Some of them have known me since I was a teenager,” he said.
We hope Ah Peng’s story can be an inspiration to others especially those who are dependent on the river for a living.
