A customer gets her temperature taken before being allowed into a baking supply shop.
KUCHING: The reopening of baking supply shops on Wednesdays and Fridays during the Movement Control Order (MCO) has received mixed reactions from baked goods operators.
Yesterday, the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) announced that it was allowing all shops selling baking supplies to open every Wednesday and Friday from 7am to 7pm during the MCO period in view of the coming Hari Raya and Gawai celebrations. This include plastic containers, accessories and baking ingredients.
For an online store operator, Siti Nurain Anis, 34, she said that with the upcoming Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration, the baking supplies stores may not have sufficient stock as demand would increase.
“It is good that they are allowed to open, but only two days a week is not enough as from experience, I will get higher demand during this time,” she said.
As such, there will be longer queues as everyone will be there during the two days, and will cause stock shortages, she said.
Another operator, Arzuin Iskandar, 24, hopes that the baking supplies shop would be allowed to open for more than two days a week.
She said that as Ramadan bazaars are not allowed to operate this year, more people will either make their own baked goods to break fast or for the celebration, or to sell online.
“I believe once Ramadan starts, there will be more people buying ingredients as they want to take the opportunity to earn income as well, aside from those who prefer to make their own cakes and cookies for Raya. So for the shops to open twice a week is not enough. I think they should be allowed to open five days a week.”
She added that she still takes orders for baked goods like cheese cake during MCO and from past years’ experience, expects to get more orders during Ramadan. She also sells western food like lasagna and spaghetti.
An online pastry and baked goods seller surnamed Yen said that she has not had any problems getting baking ingredients during the MCO as her usual shops were still open, albeit with shortened operating hours.
For packaging, she had no problems as the baking supplies shop sells them as well.
“This is why I don’t have any problems getting supplies and fulfilling my customers’ orders,” she said.
During a visit to Metrocity, The Borneo Post observed that a packaging products wholesaler and a baking ingredients shop had a line of customers queuing up outside them as they waited to enter the stores.
Those waiting in line were seen practicing social distancing, wearing face masks, while a few others wore gloves.