6004) CMCO SEES DIP IN PANIC-BUYING SPREE - NEW STRAITS TIMES - 17/10/2020

KUALA LUMPUR: Consumer groups have cautioned members of the public against panic buying during the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) period, as there are more than enough supplies to go around.

They, however, noted that despite sporadic cases, residents of the Klang Valley appeared to have handled the latest CMCO with relative calm with regard to stocking up on essential goods.

Malaysian Consumer Movement president Darshan Singh Dhillon said incidences of panic-buying had been limited this time around compared with when the MCO was implemented in March.

"During the MCO, the level of panic buying was shocking, to the extent that the authorities, and even non-governmental organisations, had to step in to reassure the public and caution them of the ill effects of such behaviour.

"This time around, it hasn't been too bad. While there were admittedly scenes of people thronging grocery stores, these were mostly due to them leaving late to shop because of work and family commitments.

"It was nowhere near past hoarding levels.

"It appears that people now generally understand the situation, and know that businesses will remain open in accordance with the designated hours.

"There's nothing to worry about where food stocks and supplies are concerned."

He advised the public to adhere to the CMCO's standard operating procedures and to only leave their homes when necessary.

Darshan's sentiments were echoed by Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia president Datuk Nadzim Johan, who said Malaysians have learnt their lesson from the MCO and were less panicky this time.

"It is a welcome relief to see that people in general have refrained from panic buying.

"This is a good indication that consumers are much wiser, while being mindful and compassionate for others.

"We hope this will continue and that the authorities are able to maintain public order and monitor food supplies, especially during such trying times," he said.

He also reminded the public that panic buying must not happen as it would ultimately lead to a shortage of supplies, something the country can ill afford.

Traders in the Klang Valley have noted lower incidences of panic buying or hoarding among the public.

Wong Yun Fatt, 43, who is general manager of local supermarket chain Econsave, said over the past week, there had been no scenes of panic buying at any of their stores across the Klang Valley.

"I'm happy to say that our stores have got more than enough food stocks and supplies to go around.

"Although some of our stores in the Federal Territory did experience a high volume of customers a few days before the CMCO, it's been business as usual otherwise."

A supermarket manager, who wished to be known only as Amir, said there had been no sudden spike in customers thronging his outlet throughout the week.

However, he added that some items appeared to be more popular among shoppers.

"We open for business at 9am. We've noticed this week that by late afternoon, we are already out of certain items such as bread and eggs, which is not the case for other supplies.

"We've had to put in a request with our suppliers to replenish these stocks on a daily basis for the convenience of our shoppers, especially families with children and the elderly."

Nonetheless, business has not been brisk for some during this period.

Saravana Kumar, 36, who owns Rajan Frozen Foods Sdn Bhd, which has been in operation for more than three decades, said this was a markedly different experience from the MCO period.

"We were struggling to keep up with the spike in demand for frozen meats such as chicken, beef, lamb, mutton and seafood. Despite the trying times, business was really good during that period.

"However, business has been anything but brisk even after the CMCO was announced. We actually posted a dip of more than 50 per cent in sales during this past week," he said.

Saravana said this could be attributed to people being cautious and unwilling to step out of their homes due to the high infection numbers.

Article by: New Straits Times

CMCO SEES DIP IN PANIC-BUYING SPREE

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2020/10/632974/cmco-sees-dip-panic-buying-spree

5802) AVOID PANIC BUYING, RESTRICT OUTSIDE MOVEMENT - NGO - BERNAMA - 17/03/2020

KUALA LUMPUR, March 17 -- Members of the public should look at the movement control order announced by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin yesterday, in a positive light, and ensure that their activities are in line with the objective of containing the COVID-19 outbreak.

Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (FOMCA) deputy president Mohd Yusof Abdul Rahman said, as such, the public should restrict their outdoor activities and avoid panic buying.

He said the objective of restricting outdoor activities is to prevent (direct) contact with other people.

“In the current situation, the public should stay at home, if they need to go to the shop, it should only be to buy essential items,” he told Bernama.

Mohd Yusof said people should not take advantage of the movement control order by going out for recreation as the order was meant to stop the spread of the virus.

He also advised traders not to take advantage of the situation by increasing the price of goods.

“The supply chain should be unchanged because so far the movement of goods is not restricted. This means that the price of goods should not increase. Traders should play their part to ensure adequate supply as in the current situation, users cannot travel far,” he said.

Yesterday, Muhyiddin declared that the country was implementing a nationwide movement control order from March 18 to March 31 to curb COVID-19.

Meanwhile,  consumer association Pertubuhan Mesra Pengguna Malaysia (PMPM) deputy president Azlin Othman said the order was an opportunity for the relevant bodies to assist the government’s efforts.

“The parties involved could carry out a cleaning and disinfecting exercise in government offices, schools, nurseries, tertiary institutes, houses of worship and business premises which will not be operating during the 14 days,” she said.

Azlin also called on sellers not to take advantage of the situation by selling hand sanitisers and face masks at exorbitant prices.

“As preventive measures, the big supermarkets should also clean their trolleys and baskets every day, as well as provide hand sanitisers.

“The public are advised to always abide by the preventive and hygiene measures to get correct information from reliable sources,” she said.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Muslim Consumers Association (PPIM) chief activist Datuk Nadzim Johan recommended that each community make the necessary preparation for the the two-week order period.

“We must have a plan to improve ourselves, such as by exercising  at home,” he said.

"There should be new schedules for the family because the daily routine might change, but that does not mean that we should be wasting our time,” he said.

Article by: Bernama

AVOID PANIC BUYING, RESTRICT OUTSIDE MOVEMENT - NGO

https://bernama.com/en/general/news.php?id=1821980