KUALA LUMPUR: During the first weekend of the Movement Control Order (MCO), a supermarket has found a way to cater to a surge of shoppers.
Teng Mini market Centre (TMC) in Bangsar here, for instance, has decided to allow only 10 customers at a time into its shop.
A manager who wanted to remain anonymous said this way shoppers will be able to buy groceries comfortably while adhering the social distancing instruction that could prevent spread of Covid-19.
“We only allow 10 shoppers at a time so there is some sort of social distancing as directed by the government.
“The security officers help us to monitor the number of customers entering and exiting the premises. So, hopefully it will be a smooth process for everyone.
“We also instructed shoppers to keep some distance among themselves at the cash register,” he said.
Some supermarkets and sundry shops are having almost empty shelves. One place had no fresh produce.
This was witnessed by Amir Rahim Yusof, 33, in the Taman Melawati suburb. He went out to pick up a few essential items and medicine for his parents.
“The supermarkets and even the sundry shops had some shelves which were almost empty. I wanted to buy some fresh vegetables and fruits, but only managed to buy half a cabbage, cucumber and beans.
“It was even worse when I visited the pharmacies as I needed to get my parents’ medicine supply, and there were people buying everything there.
“I couldn't get anything because the checkout counter was full of people. I decided not to take the risk as I would be coming home to my elderly parents,” he said.
On WhatsApp, several pictures of a big crowd of shoppers at a supermarket was being circulated.
A source from the supermarket chain said it had yet to confirm the origin of the photos and was awaiting reports from the respective branches on today’s number of customers.
The source said the photos could be from a Penang branch of a supermarket chain, but the management could not confirm the matter.