The Covid-19 pandemic back then has caused many, many new norms to take place. For instance, cashless payment to avoid the risk of contracting the virus.
Cashless transactions have been practised since then. However, there are still businesses or vendors who are still “left out” from the new norm and only accept cash payments. In an X post by @naimpestcontrol, Naim shared how he witnessed a pair of married vendors at a Ramadhan Bazaar, who are both elderly, lost a customer who was told that “QR payment not accepted, only cash”.
“Her stall is empty but others are packed”
Naim stated that the vendors are as old as his parents but what caught his attention was the lack of crowds at their stall, but not the other stalls that were flocked by hungry customers getting their meal to break the fast.
“To me, their dishes look good but there was just no one there. Other stalls were packed. The old couple were just sitting there looking at their dishes.”
It didn’t take long for Naim to get his answer when a customer approached the old vendors. The customer, however, left immediately when the couple told her they couldn’t accept QR payment.
Naim added that following the pandemic and the convenience of online payments, most people carry less cash and opt for online transactions.
“It’s not that we don’t want to support. We have the money and the power to buy, but the accessibility to pay just isn’t there.”
In a brief conversation with WORLD OF BUZZ, Naim said that the incident took place at 1 of the Ramadhan Bazaars in his hometown – Kuantan.
Naim also shared that senior citizens should be guided with the usage of QR codes, and the youth at home can carry their due diligence to do so, especially if their parents are food vendors who are not tech-savvy.
“To the youngsters at home, please guide the edlerly about QR codes. Print out the papers for them. Customers who can pay with QR codes spend differently.”
Korang kalau ada mak ayah atau org tua yg berniaga kat pasar ramadhan tu tolong la printkan QR code utk dorg.
Td aku pergi pasar ramadhan ada satu gerai ni pasangan laki bini dah tua baya2 mak ayah aku jual lauk gerai dia lengang je. Gerai kiri kanan dia ramai je org.
Aku yg…
— Naim AJ Pest (@naimpestcontrol) March 13, 2024
Most Mamak restaurants have also made available online payments, so it’s time for the food vendors at the stall to catch up with the trend! We promise you, it’s not hard to set up.