Monday, May 25th, 2009 14:31:00

AS frustrations mount over the non-availability of broken rice, retailers are having to face the wrath of disgruntled customers. A shopowner, who only wished to be known as Samy, claimed that he has had to explain that they were only getting 10 to 15 bags of broken rice each time.

“And the stock only gets delivered every two or three weeks. The SST15 rice packs are sold within two or three days, and while waiting for new stock to arrive, we have to bear the brunt of angry consumers.”

“That too, only a total of 100 bags,” she said, adding that Bernas would deliver the rice every two to three weeks.

“When the supply reaches our store, our shelves are emptied almost instantly. The next cheapest brand of rice that we can offer to the consumers is our house brand, which costs RM19 for the 10kg pack.”

This in-house grade comprises 10 per cent broken rice. She claimed that the hypermarket staff have had no choice but to listen to complaints from customers, some of whom accuse them of hoarding the SST15 rice.

“The customers get angry when they see the empty display shelves. We understand their frustrations but there is nothing much we can do.”

A spokesman for the Tesco chain of hypermarkets confirmed that it has been facing a similar problem for some months now.

“We hope the authorities will look into the matter and be fair to the lower-income group."

Source: http://www.mmail.com.my/content/retailers-face-customers-anger-0