Friday, May 2, 2008

White Bread vs Brown Bread

Lately, due to the increased in the price of the raw material (flour), follow is the price revision in to the flours manufactured products like noodles & breads or buns.
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However according to the newspaper, the noodle' hawkers in Miri didn't manage to increase the selling price of the dry noodle (mi kering) even though the price of the noodle has increased another RM0.40/KG; as they claimed 1KG of noodle roughly can produce 8 plates of "mi kering", which equivalent to RM0.05 increased in the cost price per plate of noodle, which still considered as a very little increment, not burden much.
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Anyway, most of the baker shops in miri have started to increase the selling price of the white bread (白面包), from the current rate of RM1.90 to RM2.50 without the acknowledge the Miri Domestic Trade & Consumer Affairs Department (DTCA, 美里贸消部). The following day, DTCA has gave a comment & warning in the local press, that they have no doubt to take action (to be fined or jailed) on those baker shops who take it upon oneself to increase the price of the white bread.
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Do you know what is happening after the soft warning by DTCA in the local press? One of the baker shop in Mosjaya area, Miri has mixed some sort of colouring during the baking process, to produce a brown bread (黑面包), which has the same taste as the white bread. But they have more "value", as the selling price is at RM2.60 each.
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A package of Brown Bread
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Close look of a piece of brown bread

So all the white breads on the racks have been replaced by the new brown breads. The owner of the baker shop is honest, he told Fern's mum that he have no choice, since DTCA not allow to increase the price of the white bread, he will just has to change the look, turn it into a brown bread. Perhaps now can stop DTCA from making any noise. I don't know if this is the only baker shop which apply this strategy to protect their own profits? As I know, the price of the white bread has remain at RM1.90 each at most of the baker shops.

From the above case, we learn that those who are creative & innovative, and those who not blindly follow or obey to the fixed rules of the game normally are closer to the door of success, and they can survised longer compared to those who are stiff & conservative!

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5 comments:

Apple said...

Increase of 40 cents to a loaf of white bread. That's a real burden to consumers! The baker in the shop that you mentioned is indeed "creative" and "innovative" but if every baker do that, all consumers are going to suffer for sure.

Unknown said...

wow, is this true? this is serious... oh ya, u know bout the rainbow breads too ya.. guess that one not so much value? lol

Anonymous said...

I seldom eat bread.. But I heard my housemates said eating bread is expensive now... People used to said poor people will eat bread and now different lol .. hahaha..

Anonymous said...

apple:
they always have an alternative, they can maintain the price by make the buns abit "slim"...lolz

quachee:
now this baker has make it abit different by mixed some maize corns into the white bread...this one better than brown bread lah.

keeyit:
u r right, now everything changed...anyway if u r still eating the bread, then u r considered as rich people now...lolz

Anonymous said...

Hopefully this brown bread wont give you side effect like the milk issue in China.