KUALA TERENGGANU: A fishmonger here decided to do his part to help the needy by selling seabass (weighing about 700 gm) at a very cheap price of only 90 sen each, from its normal price of between RM10 and RM11 each.
Sauffian Sauji, 36, said he allocated 1,000 seabass to be sold at the price with a maximum purchase of six per person.
He said the offer on Wednesday (Jan 3) was also in conjunction with the opening of the fourth branch of his shop in Kampung Ibai near here.
However, he said, for customers to buy the seabass at that cheap price, they had to come early because within 40 minutes the fish would be sold out.
"The response today was extraordinary. Customers arrived as early as 6am to queue and the shop was still closed.
"I have a supply of more than 4,000 kg of seabass today, with 1,000 of them sold for 90 sen cents each. The remaining seabass is then sold at different prices, but still cheap, like RM10 for three and then RM6 each,” he said at his 'Ikang Flyover' shop.
According to Sauffian, he obtained his supply of seabass from a cage fish farmer in Penang.
He said there are also other types of fish sold at his shop, fish such as mackerel, as well as shrimps, which are also sold at cheap prices.
Given the overwhelming response, Sauffian said he hoped to be able to provide his customers with a better offer the next time.
"I’m doing this, firstly, to help people who are affected by the flood and the less affordable because the sea bass can be considered quite expensive to buy, especially for families with many children,” he added.
Meanwhile, one of the customers at the shop, Halimaton Mohamad, 45, said she hoped that there would be more traders able to offer foodstuff at cheap prices to help their customers cope with the increasing cost of living.
"It's good to sell it cheap like this. The less affordable people like me can also eat seabass. Otherwise, we have to be content with just eating the Selayang fish. Hope this fish monger (Sauffian) can sell this cheap again,” said the woman, who bought a maximum of six pieces of the seabass for 90 sen each.
Another customer, Shahmi Hapizi, 24, from Kampung Sungai Kerak near Marang, said he was late and missed the offer of buying the seabass at 90 sen each.
"But, I was able to buy three pieces of the fish for only RM10. I didn't expect anyone to be here at 6am. I arrived at 9am and by then the sebass sold at 90 sen a piece had been sold out.
"Hopefully, this shop can offer cheap prices like this again, even once a month is good enough,” he added.
