Customers flock to Rantau Panjang for after-flood sales

RANTAU PANJANG - Some traders here have started selling their goods at a much lower price than usual after their shops were flooded early last week.

A survey by Bernama at the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security Complex (ICQS) in Rantau Panjang found that the sale, especially traders selling carpets and furniture, was well-received, with many people browsing for bargains there.

Carpet and furniture shop owner, Halimuddin Musa, 56, said he decided to hold a sale to recover losses caused by last Sunday’s floods.

He said that even though the items were submerged during the flood, they are still in good condition, of good quality and useable.

"Instead of throwing them away, I decided to put them on sale starting yesterday.

"Items in this shop are sold at reduced prices, some as low as RM10. There are also items that were originally priced at RM70, but due to the flood, we sold them at only RM25," he told Bernama.

Halimuddin said that floodwaters rose to 1.5 metres (m) in Rantau Panjang, preventing traders in town from doing business until they receded yesterday, adding that he had yet to estimate his losses.

Meanwhile, barber Azhari Muhamad, 40, who was spotted shopping there that day, shared that he drove for almost an hour from Kota Bharu to take advantage of the sale.

"The sale seems to have become a custom every time the town gets hit by floods. The prices are much cheaper and the goods are still in good condition.

Fellow shopper Azmi Ismail, 52, a trader from Pasir Mas, concurred, saying that it was worth buying sale items.

"Even though the items have been submerged in a flood, they are still in good condition. The original price is rather high. So on this occasion, I was able to buy things at a much cheaper price," he said, adding that he had budgeted RM100 to buy the mats on sale.

Meanwhile, checks by Bernama at the Rantau Panjang duty-free zone found that only a few traders were open for business while the majority of other shops were still closed. - BERNAMA