MARANG: Rising living costs and increasing prices of goods have not stopped a trader from Kampung Rusila here from selling nasi lemak with anchovies, eggs, and cucumber for only RM1.
Despite the small profit margin, Safiah Azlan, 32, said she was still satisfied because within a maximum period of seven hours, she could now sell up to 1,700 packets of the food.
The RM1 price, she said, was set after she noticed consumers' purchasing power decreasing, while living costs and prices of goods were increasing.
"I have been in the food business for 14 years, but seeing the purchasing power decline and with the increasing prices of goods, I need to find other alternatives. Starting last October, 400 packets of RM1 nasi lemak were sold per day in the first week."
"In the second week, demand surged to 700 to 800 packets per day, and now sales have reached 1,700 packets daily. Although the price is low, the ingredients used are the same as those in nasi lemak sold for RM3 or RM4 per packet.
"I didn't expect the demand to keep increasing. Even though the profit margin is small, I am still satisfied because within seven hours or less, I can sell everything," said Safiah, who employed 10 workers to help prepare the food for sale.
To cover the cost of employee wages, she said she needed to sell more than 1,000 packets of RM1 nasi lemak every day.
Her customers are not only local residents but also people from outside areas, including Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Pahang, Kelantan, Kedah, and Perak.
"To ensure the nasi lemak is always hot, I cook it in stages from 3pm until night falls. The demand can reach up to 2,000 packets a day, but preparing that many is very exhausting.
"For now, I limit it to 1,700 packets only. Alhamdulillah, even though it is tiring to prepare nasi lemak in such large quantities, I am satisfied because customer feedback is very positive regarding the price and taste of the food," said Safiah, who used between 80 to 100kg of rice.
"I also sell Western dishes for RM5, as well as curry noodles and laksa, also at the same price, but I increase the quantity of ingredients so people are satisfied with their meals," she added.