Malaysia’s wet market traders are increasingly being squeezed out of business by growing numbers of hypermarkets extending their opening hours, reports The Star Online.
Many hypermarkets in Malaysia’s Klang Valley are now opening as early as 8am, it said, and wet market traders in the area are seeing a decline in sales and loss of earnings as a result.
Some have cut their supplies of vegetables, fish and other perishables fearing difficulty in selling them, The Star said.
Cooler, cleaner surroundings and lower prices are also drawing shoppers through hypermarkets’ doors and away from the traditional wet markets, the publication said.
Many young housewives are opting to shop for their fresh products in the comfort of air-conditioned super stores, instead of getting their feet dirty on the wet and usually unkempt and pungent walkways of wet markets.
Bargains too are attracting customers to the hypermarkets and away from wet markets, where traders have had to put up prices to compensate for a recent rise in petrol costs.
One wet market trader told The Star wet markets were in no position to compete with the big league hypermarkets which could offer fresh products at cheaper prices.
