Ever since COVID-19, we wake up everyday to news about prices rising. From chicken to vegetables, everything we need to survive seems to be sucked into the price increase trend. 

Most recently, traditional coffee shops or locally known as kopitiams are expected to raise the price of drinks by 60 sen next year. This was reported personally by the Malaysia Singapore Coffee Shop Proprietors’ General Association, Wong Teu Hoon, who said that one of the factors in the price increase was due to rising operating costs.

“Prices will go up 20-30 sen in rural areas and 40-60 sen in urban areas. Rent is higher in certain areas so the price will also be higher,” he said as reported by Malay Mail. He added that the cost increase would also not benefit coffee shop owners but would help them manage rising operating costs.

"Recently, many things have become more expensive-from condensed milk and evaporated milk needed to make coffee or tea, to employee salaries, rent and cooking gas," he said, adding that coffee shop owners only earn RM20 if they sell 100 cups of coffee. a day, even if the price of a cup goes up 20 cents.

Wong, who is also the president of the Melaka Coffee Shop Association, claimed that most coffee shops in the state had not increased their prices in the past six years despite the increase in rent, utility charges and increase in employee salaries. "This time, we really had to raise the price. Most businesses have agreed to start adjusting beverage prices from January 1, ”he said.

In Penang, Tan Kar Seong, the Penang and Province Wellesley Cafe Association chairman, said that fearing that they would loose their customers, many local seller were hesitant to increase their prices.

But because of how bad things are getting and also the prediction that ciffee powder prices will increase next year too, they have agreed to do so.