CNY shoppers being cautious
Published on: Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Kota Kinabalu: With gaily decorated shopping centres in the heart of the city, the Chinese New Year atmosphere is being increasingly felt.However, unlike in the days of economic boom, the crowds of eager shoppers are missing although the celebration is less than two weeks away.Being the Year of the Rooster in the Chinese Lunar Calendar, the rooster takes centre stage at least at Wisma Merdeka, although it is dominated by lanterns of all shapes and sizes like elsewhere.ADVERTISEMENT Shopping malls like Centre Point Sabah and Suria Sabah have also put up festive stages in anticipation of celebratory entertainment shows to mark the auspicious occasion.Whether the economy is vibrant or sluggish does not make much difference to a segment of the Chinese community. They still shop for decorative items like lanterns, albeit more prudently than before.Miss Tan, a vendor, said business is as usual, as good as last year's, if not better. ADVERTISEMENT "Some of my lanterns and wall hangings featuring the rooster have been sold out already." A pair of velvet lanterns with rods for hanging purposes costs as much as RM109 while those made with ordinary cloth are priced from RM89 onwards.
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A set of rare gold coloured lanterns costs RM139 but takers are few as red is the preferred colour because it symbolises luck and is believed to ward off evil."The lanterns we are buying are just token," said some shoppers. "Due to wear and tear, we can't use old ones." To save money, others said they are reusing old lanterns as these are still in good condition, adding "Lanterns are an indispensable cultural item to the Chinese community.""I am creating new ones just by using left over empty red packets from previous years," a retiree said.Meanwhile, a check with fruit traders found that they are pretty cautious this time around, recognising that generally, the people have less purchasing power coupled with the increase in the cost of Mandarin oranges. For example, a box of 12 Taiwan Ponkan cost between RM45 and RM47 last year but the price has since gone up to RM52.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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Luyang's fruiterer Kent Sih feared that should he be unable to sell his stock of Mandarin oranges, they would be left to rot as these are "non-returnable" items."Last year, I ordered about 1,000 boxes of Taiwan Ponkam (of various sizes – 12, 15 or 16 pieces per box) and China's Mandarin oranges from the supplier. But this time, I decided to take only 800 boxes to avoid losses," he said.