What is it that make people shop on the eve of Merdeka?

I was at 1 Utama this evening and desperately needed at least one box of formula. So I headed to the one place I knew that would definitely carry them – Jusco Supermarket. When I got there, my heart sank at the crowd shopping at the supermarket, and the long line of queue at the cashiers’ counters. But since I can’t leave without the formula, I had to choice but to join the pack.

It’s not a common sight to see such a large crowd unless there’re some special Jusco sales going on and that’s what I thought was pulling in the shoppers today. But not really, I didn’t quite notice any special sales. However, according to one particular cashier, rice and some detergent were selling cheap today and each person was only allowed to buy two bags. Some people bought their two bags, set them aside and went on to buy another two despite the long queues. I didn’t bother to check how cheaply they were selling for, but it must be a rather good deal for people to do this.

The cashier also said that it’s the norm that people go out and shop on the eve of Merdeka so what was going on was actually normal. Strange…I never knew this and I don’t see the reason why unless there are big sales offered to usher in another year of the country’s independence.

So are you one of them who go on a shopping spree on the eve of Merdeka?