| Abdul Hakiim Yakof |
BUSINESSES in the country have been kept busy ever since government annual bonuses were disbursed recently, with Bruneians flocking to shops and shopping centres in droves to cross out their shopping wish lists and purchase back-to-school items to prepare their children for the new school year.
Niq Ng, a sales manager at Mobile World Enterprise, said the volume of business went up in the last two days.
“We have 18 mobile phone brands and most of them are selling well. We sold almost 400 phones and the number continues to rise, with customers coming in non-stop since 10am until evening. Most are paying cash for mobile phone purchases,” said Ng.
Maria, one of the shoppers in Gadong, said that bonus time is not like what it used to be as the cost of living has increased, noting that her family has adapted to spending more on needs rather than wants, and that some Bruneians have learnt to be more prudent in spending their bonuses.
“Our family now tries to reuse what can still be used such as school bags and school stationery, because times have changed and there is no need to buy new things every year. Especially if you have more children, people need to have some extra money on the side for emergencies and needs,” she said.
Mark Misa, an assistant supervisor at a footwear shop in Gadong, said, “Most of our customers are buying school shoes for their children returning to school next month. The number of customers to our store started increasing rapidly recently and we have sold more than 300 pairs of shoes so far.”
Meanwhile, Riana Momin, a vendor at the Gadong night market who has run her business during the bonus period for the past few years, said of the year-end shopping rush: “People start flocking to the night market after Isyak prayer. But the number of visitors has decreased compared to previous years…I feel this might be because of the economic situation.”
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