KUALA LUMPUR – The government’s move to extend business hours until midnight instead of 10pm is not expected to make much difference to most retailers who have already lost revenue and still remain on alert due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The industry also does not foresee significant difference in sales as customers are still cautious about going out during the ongoing conditional movement control order (CMCO).
Petrol Dealers Association of Malaysia (PDAM) president Datuk Khairul Anuar welcomed the extension of the hours, but cautioned that a rise in revenue does not depend solely on operating hours but also foot traffic.
“It may or may not be good in terms of revenue, as it depends on foot traffic. The ruling encouraging people to work from home is still in place and schools have closed, too,” he said,
“So, revenue may still be the same. It is just that hours are spread longer,” he said.
He added that PDAM members are also wary of operating till late at night for fears of robbery attempts.
He said operators are concerned about becoming victims of crime, especially during the current economic crisis.
“A lot of people are finding themselves in dire financial straits and petrol stations will be targeted for theft,” Khairul said.
“That is one reason why we are worried about extending our business hours to midnight.”
Despite this, the National Seurity Council’s (NSC) decision may still aid in reviving the stations’ revenue after they saw a sharp drop in sales since movement restrictions began earlier this year, causing a drastic reduction in traffic.
“At the start of the MCO, there was an 80% drop in revenue from sales of petrol, and a 90% drop in sales at our shops. Now, although some of us are already breaking even, we are still down by 50%,” he said.
As for petty traders and hawkers, the extension may not bring much change in their operations as many close early.
“You take night markets for example. Most local councils order them to close at 10pm anyway, so the new directive does not make much of a difference for them,” said Datuk Yow Boon Choon, president of the Kuala Lumpur Petty Traders and Hawkers Association.
He said that even after the MCO was downgraded to conditional restrictions, night market traders still saw slow sales as customers were afraid to go out.
He added that more people prefer to shop online now.
However, the situation may be different for hawker centres as some were operating until very late before the pandemic began.
“This move will have some effect on hawker centres because they have customers coming in until late. So, I see them experiencing an increase in profits from this directive,” Yow said.
Virus doesn’t have a watch
Dr Arvinder Singh, a medical research officer at the Institute of Clinical Research Malaysia, said that business operating hours do not play a big role in the fight against the ongoing pandemic.
“Are you trying to tell me if I close shop at 10pm, the virus doesn’t spread? It’s not about the time. The virus doesn’t have a watch,” he said.
What is essential to curbing Covid-19 is ensuring strict compliance with SOPs, vigilance among the people and practising good hygiene, he added.
“There have to be new norms, like allowing only a certain number of people into restaurants or encouraging open-air settings where it is difficult for the virus to spread,” he said
Dr Arvinder also said that educating foreign workers on the virus is essential as they play an important role to curb it.
“Many workers in restaurants, for example, are foreigners who may be living in cramped houses. We cannot leave them out of our fight against the pandemic.
“We must spend more time educating them about it,” he said.
Meanwhile, Malaysia Muslim Restaurant Owners Association (Presma) president Habibur Rahman said the time extension will be good for those in the food and beverage industry.
“When restaurants close at 10pm, those working in malls and petrol stations who finish work late may not be able to buy food at night. So, we welcome this time extension and will follow the SOPs in place strictly,” he said.
On November 23, Senior Minister (Security) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had announced that the NSC will allow businesses such as restaurants, convenience stores, sundry shops and petrol stations to open until midnight after receiving feedback on the previous 10pm closing time. – The Vibes, November 25, 2020
