Johor Bahru shop draws customers with 17-cent buns
JOHOR BAHRU - A second-generation confectionery store in Johor Bahru has attracted long lines of customers who are willing to queue for hours just to get their hands on buns that cost RM0.60 (S$0.17) a piece.
The buns, sold in packs of five, retail at RM2.99, which customers like Ms Zurina Zubir feel is a good bargain.
The 48-year-old administrative executive said she waited in line for more than an hour at the shop in Taman Johor Jaya, to purchase 12 packs of the buns.
“My colleague told me about the cheap buns. After finding out that they were halal-certified, I decided to give them a try.
“When the bread delivery truck arrived, the customers went into a frenzy and rushed to grab their desired flavours. I managed to get all four flavours available.
“My favourites are the buns with margarine filling; the bread is soft and has that ‘old school’ taste that reminds me of my childhood,” said Ms Zurina, adding that she plans to revisit the shop to purchase more buns soon.
Another customer, Ms Goh Mui Heong, 60, said she arrived at the shop as early as 8.30am on Sept 29 and waited around five hours for the buns to emerge.
“I did not want to miss the chance of buying the buns, which are cheaper compared with other brands in the market sold at more than RM1.
“However, there was a delay in the delivery, and the truck only arrived at around 1.30pm. I waited patiently and grabbed seven bags of buns to share with my family and friends.
“It is refreshing to see that there are still businesses willing to sell things cheaply while the price of items like vegetables and white rice is shooting up,” she said.
The shop’s proprietor, Mr Yap Boon Kim, said the buns are only available on Wednesdays and Saturdays, where they could sell up to 1,500 pieces in about two hours each day.
He said the buns, which come in flavours such as corn, margarine, kaya-butter and chocolate, are made in Muar.
“Besides giving customers an opportunity to enjoy cheap food, our objective is also to promote traditional businesses such as the bread factory in Muar.
“We sold the buns at our shop in 2019 but had to stop after a few months because of Covid-19.
“We resumed sales earlier this month after the factory agreed to produce the items consistently.
“After posting about the buns on our Facebook page, we noticed many multiracial patrons visiting our shop.
“This shows that many people are on the lookout for cheap food as the cost of living rises,” added Mr Yap, who operates the 36-year-old confectionery and snack business with his siblings. - THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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