Mother Of Two Makes A Living Carrying Market-Goers’ Purchases

For this woman, there is no room for shyness or timidity when it comes to offering her services to passers-by, in a bid to earn a living and support her family.

Every morning at 7 am, Mahaniza Mohamad, 44, makes her way to the Selangor Wholesale Market in Seri Kembangan here, where she approaches shoppers to offer her services, either helping to carry their purchases to their vehicles or acting as a “personal shopper” by buying their requested items and delivering them to their homes.

When Bernama met her at the wholesale market recently, Mahaniza, a mother of two schoolgoing children, had already spent two hours there but was yet to find a customer.

“Perhaps today is just not my day… if there is no income for me today, I don’t know what I am going to cook at home. We had eggs as a side dish yesterday,” said Mahaniza, whose husband is bedridden.

She then walked listlessly into the market to buy some vegetables to cook for lunch.

DAILY ROUTINE

Sharing her daily routine with Bernama, Mahaniza, better known as ‘Kak Za Pasar’ on social media, said she would head to the wholesale market, which is located behind her house here, after attending to her husband Muhammad Farhan Sedik, 43, and getting her 16-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son ready for school.

Her husband has been unable to move since suffering a stroke three years ago that affected his nerves, compounded by chronic diabetes. Before he became bedridden, he worked in sales and marketing management at a restaurant.

Mahaniza, also known as Kak Za, during an interview with a Bernama journalist at Selangor Wholesale Market recently.--BERNAMApix

Mahaniza, who used to work at the same restaurant as a sales and marketing officer, said it was her husband who came up with the idea for the personal shopping and goods-carrying services, branded as Pikul Pro.

“Apart from helping buyers carry their purchases, I also offer my service as a personal shopper for those who don’t have the time to visit the market,” she said, adding that she started the business in 2023.

She said while she was still working full-time, she would briefly return home to attend to her husband’s needs, such as bathing him, preparing his meals and helping him with his bowel movements, as he could not move on his own and had to be physically carried.

“My employer was very understanding of my situation and allowed me the flexibility to return home. However, what was unpleasant was that some colleagues questioned why I kept leaving the workplace to go home. Eventually, my husband advised me to quit my job,” she said.

She added that his health condition made it difficult for her to commit to a regular job.

“There was one day when I called my husband repeatedly, but he did not answer. When I returned home, I found that he had fallen from the bed. It turned out that he had wanted to go to the toilet… that was how he fell. He tried to contact me but could not because his mobile phone was not within his reach,” she said.

Mahaniza said at the wholesale market, she usually approaches senior citizens and persons with disabilities to offer them her goods-carrying service, but she does not charge a fixed fee, leaving it to customers to decide how much they wish to pay.

“Some customers give me RM2, others RM5 or RM10 for the service,” she said.

For her personal shopping service, customers would send her a list of items they want to buy.

Kak Za selects quality products for customers who engage her services.--BERNAMApix

“Once I arrive at the market, I take photographs of the items, together with their prices, and send them to the customers. Once they approve, they make payment directly using the traders’ QR codes that I send them.

“This approach is more convenient and gives customers peace of mind,” she said, adding that she herself delivers the purchases to their homes on her motorcycle, for which she charges between RM15 and RM30 depending on the distance between the market and the customer’s home.

She is usually at the wholesale market from 7 am to 11 am on weekdays and until noon on weekends.

SOCIETAL PERCEPTIONS

In her efforts to earn an honest living, Mahaniza has had to contend with various public perceptions about a job traditionally associated with men, especially given her small build.

“In the beginning, some people wondered what I was doing when they saw me going around the market offering my goods-carrying services. They found it strange because I am a woman. But they did not know that once, I even carried 50 chickens for delivery to a customer’s home,” she shared.

However, she said public perception began to change after a video of her encounter with well-known television host Datuk Aznil Nawawi and singer Haiza went viral on social media.

“Pak Nil (Aznil) and Haiza were at the market for a programme held in conjunction with Ramadan at the time. Pak Nil spotted me and came over to speak to me. After learning about my circumstances and my family, he offered assistance, including buying me a refrigerator,” she said.

She added that following the video’s viral spread, she received one-off contributions from members of the public who were touched by her story.

Acknowledging that securing customers every day is not easy, Mahaniza said she has learned not to set high expectations when going to work. There had even been weeks when she did not get a single customer.

“As people can see, I call out to shoppers and offer my assistance. If nobody responds, that is all right. I tell myself that perhaps today is not my day. Maybe I will be luckier tomorrow or the day after,” said Mahaniza, who earns between RM800 and RM900 a month.

She also expressed gratitude for receiving monthly zakat assistance of RM400, in addition to rental assistance, which helped ease her financial burden.

“Many people ask me why I am still struggling when I am already receiving assistance. But my family cannot depend solely on aid. I still have to earn my own money,” she said.

As early as 7am, Mahaniza offers a service to help customers carry their purchases to their vehicles.--BERNAMApix

Looking ahead, Mahaniza hopes her husband, who is currently receiving regular treatment at Putrajaya Hospital, will recover and regain his ability to walk.

 “My priority now is to ensure my husband receives the best possible treatment and recovers,” she said.

As for Pikul Pro, Mahaniza hopes to expand its services to other markets to enable her to earn a more stable income.

For now, however, her immediate wish is to bring home enough money each day to meet her family’s expenses.

“As for tomorrow and the days ahead, I leave everything in Allah’s hands,” she added.