KUCHING: Parents are scrambling to buy school supplies for their children before the new school term officially starts on Monday.
Many parents were seen doing last-minute shopping for essential school items at the city’s many shopping malls and New Sarawak Tribune managed to interview several of them on some of the challenges faced at Vivacity Megamall here today.
TOMMY MAJING, 35
Firefighter
I just follow my wife’s wishes and bought these school supplies based on the brand, especially for clothing or uniform as our two children are growing so fast. The challenge for us would be the size for our kids, which are already out of stock and we have to look for them elsewhere. The same goes with their shoes’ size and brand, which are also out of stock.
SIAW CHING, 37
Administrative staff
This is my first time buying school supplies for my three-year-old son, who is about to enter his first year of kindergarten. I came to buy a school bag for him because the school has provided stationery and uniforms for the students. One of the challenges I have to face when buying school supplies is the lack of time as I work around-the-clock during weekdays and only have ample time on the weekends. I was afraid that there would be heavy traffic since it was raining today, but thankfully, there was no traffic jam after the rain stopped.
SITI HANISAH, 41
Customer service executive
The reason why my husband and I are doing this last-minute shopping for our seven-year-old son, who is about to enter his first year in primary school, is because we want to compare and survey the prices and quality offered among malls in Kuching. A lot of parents told me that Parkson in Vivacity offers more choices and better prices as compared to other malls. Usually, at the end of the school holiday, there are a lot of clearance sales.
AMILIA FAZREENA JOHNNY, 39
I am buying school supplies for my son who is about to enter Standard Six this Monday. I do not really mind buying the supplies outside of malls but there will be problems in finding the right clothes sizes. Over here, I can easily switch out the incorrect sizes without worries.
LEE SIAW FUNG, 40
Teacher from SJK Chung Hua Sematan
This is my first time buying clothes for my 13-year-old son, who is about to enter secondary school. It is a new experience for me to get my boy’s clothes because it is in a different colour and style. So, I need to ask the promoter if it is suitable for secondary school or not as there are a variety on the types of fabric. There are some with rough materials while some with soft materials. Furthermore this last-minute shopping is because my husband and I are only available during the school holidays to buy the school supplies.
CRISTAL YONY, 43
Self-employed
Today’s purchase of school items is not a last-minute buying spur as I just want to purchase an add-on book for my 17-year-old son, who will be sitting for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) exam soon. The reason for shopping in Popular Bookstore is due to its discount and convenience of parking compared to other bookstores where parking bays are difficult to find. The challenges here is usually items going out of stock, like a particular book that their teacher asked us to buy.
