SHAH ALAM, April 11 — The public has begun adopting various cost-saving measures in daily life following the indirect impact of the West Asia crisis, which has affected logistics costs, goods prices, and utility costs.
The situation has had varying effects on different groups, including business owners and employees who must adjust their spending and daily operations.
Businessman Ahmad Ridhuan Abdullah, 44, said his company, which supplies clinical goods to hospitals, has been affected, particularly by rising logistics costs.
Increased transportation costs, including petrol and diesel, have necessitated a restructuring of delivery schedules.
“It has certainly had an impact, especially on transportation costs, petrol and diesel. So we have reorganised our delivery schedules by reducing lorry trips.
“Usually, we consolidate orders in larger quantities and deliver them in one go to several states. For example, we deliver directly to three states, such as Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan, to save costs, rather than making multiple trips,” he told Media Selangor.
Meanwhile, private-sector employee Siti Haidah Md Zain, 58, said that so far the situation has not significantly affected her, as her company has long practised flexible working hours.
“Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the office has adopted a three-day in-office and two-day work-from-home arrangement. It is quite a relief because the workplace is rather far away in Kuala Lumpur.
“However, with more time spent at home, electricity usage has increased, so we try to save by limiting the use of air conditioning,” she said.
For kuih trader Tengku Ahmad Tengku Abd Jalil, 56, rising raw material prices pose challenges to daily business operations.
“You can definitely feel it when prices go up. We try to buy stock in larger quantities to save costs, but at the same time, we need to be careful about expiry dates and only choose items with a longer shelf life,” he said.
Similarly, Azrin Osman, 46, said that hybrid working practices help reduce fuel costs and manage electricity usage at home.
“I live with just one other person, so electricity usage is not too high. For laundry, we reduce dryer use and hang more clothes to dry.
"We have to be wise in managing our expenses,” she said.
