BY: CATHERINE SAW

Worldwide inflationary trends have not spared Malaysia and consumer groups and associations are coming out strongly to advise Malaysians to be a smart consumer in view of the rising prices of goods and services.

By going into social media sites that create awareness among consumers, Malaysians can get heaps and loads of advice on making smart purchases and accumulating savings whenever there is a need to buy anything or use a service.

Plentiful advice is available. Malaysians are now looking to make super savings and stretch their ringgit to get the most value out of it as many of them work hard to earn a living and have therefore become cost conscious.

It is not easy to be a smart consumer but Malaysians are now aware that the rising prices of goods and services will not go down but only keep rising while incomes are low or stagnant without any increments to keep pace with the cost of living.

This leaves people with no alternative but to strive to either try and earn more or make do with their incomes by being a smart consumer calculating purchases and cutting costs to make ends meet.

But consumers, while being smart nowadays, are looking forward earnestly and with great anticipation for a revival of the economy and are hoping that the government will do its level best to restore the economy like during the boom years.

-THE MALAYSIA VOICE

** The views expressed on this opinion is of the writer and not the publisher