KUCHING: After two years of Covid-19 lockdown, just as they were beginning to feel that life was slowly limping back to normalcy, torrential rains have come and dealt street vendors and hawkers a low blow.
With the monsoon season in full force, hawkers and sellers are being forced to sell their wares while taking cover under trees or small canopies set up along the road or in any urban space.
A bigger issue for them is that they lose money when it rains because most people shop at supermarkets.
While many were forced to close business due to low customer turnout since they lack proper shelter to protect them from the rain, let’s spare a thought for those whose livelihoods depend on fine weather.
Kadat Abong, who has been selling fruits and vegetables in 7th Mile for 15 years, said fine weather was the best for his business.
“During hot weather, I can prepare and move my stock easily. It is also a busy time for business, but once the rainy season hits, business slows down. I have no choice but to keep selling my stock in the hope that it will be completely sold.”
Despite the lack of shelter and space, he said sometimes customers do visit his place on rainy days.
“Very few…but when regular customers come, I will be operating like a ‘drive thru’ whereby customers buy without getting out of their cars.
“If I am unable to sell, then it will be a problem for my family.”
Tan, a flower seller for more than 25 years, said he and his wife had to clear the stock every day to make a profit because flowers are perishable items.
“A chrysanthemum (arrived last week) which sells for RM3 cannot be sold next week,” he pointed out.
“The flowers come from Cameron Highlands. It costs us a lot to bring them here, so we must sell within two weeks. Otherwise, any flower will eventually start to die except the cactus.
“During the rain season, it is next to impossible for us to sell everything,” he said.
Even without the rains, the couple have a tough time. For example, he said, “Whenever pedestrian and parking issues crop up, hawkers are blamed.”
For Chai, a barbecue meat seller, the wet season is a miserable time for hawkers here, both uncomfortable and unprofitable.
“My numbers show that income has dropped by about half in the rainy season. From January to May, we make profit, but from June to December, we cannot make money.”
The early morning sun always gives hawkers the chance to re-open their stalls but as clouds gather in the sky towards the evening, they prepare for yet another day of poor business.
The 50-year-old, who has been running the stall with his son, 18, since 2010, said, “One time, heavy rain with strong winds blew away my canopy and we suffered losses.”
At the same time, he found that many people were staying indoors in the evening these days. In the past, customers used to be plentiful until 11pm, but now everyone would be gone by 8pm. “Without this job, I don’t know what else I can do.”
Estimates from the Kuching and Samarahan Division Hawkers and Traders Association put the total number of licensed hawkers at 20,000.
Its advisor, Datuk Seri Sim Kiang Chiok, who has been working very closely with hawkers and traders on this matter, said the monsoon season was detrimental.
“It will affect the hawkers and petty traders’ business as it is not convenient for their customers,” he said.
“Even when they operate in an indoor market with ample parking spaces, their business is affected because customers prefer to go to supermarkets.
“The main idea of street hawkers is easy accessibility for buyers, and affordable prices.”
He added that the problem multiplied after the conclusion of the FIFA World Cup, which also meant fewer customers and sales, especially for vendors with no cable or streaming subscription and television.
Asked how the hawkers would cope, Sim said they might have to compensate the losses with extended business hours, carry fewer inventories and avoid spoilage.
“Raining is a foreseeable event during monsoon season. So hawkers and small traders have to take action when business is slow.”
