Brunei's Local News - Brudirect.com

Bandar Seri Begawan - Shoppers flocked to retail outlets and supermarkets yesterday as most received their salaries with just about a week remaining before the much anticipated Hari Raya celebrations.

Festive decorations, clothes, food and beverages were among the priority purchases on most people's shopping lists.

Hj Zakaria Shamsuddin said that he had just purchased several cartons of canned drinks for Hari Raya. "My pay just came out so I am buying this now and later my family and I will go out to buy some more clothes for Raya.".

He added that he always buys a lot of cartons of canned drinks to entertain his guests.

A couple was looking at curtains and upholstery to decorate their home with for the customary open house they hold each year.

"We get new curtains every two years and this year we are getting new ones to make our living room look beautiful for when people come to our open house," said Fatin Mohammad.

She said she and her husband have just received their wages and that they wanted to get all their Raya shopping done "as soon as possible". They said that have made a list of things they needed to buy for the upcoming festivities. Next on their "list" are the traditional Malay mini-cakes and biscuits, a popular treat for guests when they visit houses of friends and relatives during the festivity.

Hassanal, a technician working for Brunei Shell Petroleum stated that he has noticed the trend of preparing for Hari Raya before salaries come out.

"People have been window-shopping for the past few days. They want to get it (the products which they wished to buy) first before other people get it," he said.

When asked whether he has been doing the same thing, the 26-year-old replied that he had begun preparations for Hari Raya earlier on. He pointed out that the Brunei Grand Sale has started since last month and that he had already bought all the things he needed. "It's all prepared. I just have to pay for my car loans," he said.

At the time, Hassanal was queuing up to withdraw cash from an ATM (automated teller machine) in the Gadong area. He said that he saw long queues of people at other ATMs at the Kg Kiulap shopping area.

To avoid this queue, one civil servant who declined to be named, said that he had already taken out cash for shopping in the early morning hours. Even then, he said that there were two or three people waiting in line to use the ATM. -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times