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

Every day at 7am, Mahaniza Mohamad, a 44-year-old mother of two, ventures to the Selangor Wholesale Market in Seri Kembangan, Selangor. With determination, she approaches shoppers to offer her services, either helping them carry their purchases or acting as a personal shopper by buying requested items and delivering them to their homes.

Despite not finding a customer on a particular morning, Mahaniza faces the struggle of supporting her family - her husband Muhammad Farhan Sedik, 43, who is bedridden due to a stroke and diabetes, and their children who attend school. Her husband, once a sales and marketing manager at a restaurant, came up with the idea for the personal shopping and goods-carrying services, named Pikul Pro, which Mahaniza launched in 2023.

Mahaniza often approaches senior citizens and persons with disabilities for her services and doesn't charge a fixed fee, leaving it to the customers to decide how much they wish to pay. For her personal shopping service, customers provide her with a list of items, and Mahaniza takes pictures and sends prices to them. Once approved, the customers pay using QR codes sent by Mahaniza, who then delivers the purchases to their homes on her motorcycle.

She earns between RM800 and RM900 monthly and receives additional financial assistance of RM400 monthly through zakat and rental assistance.

Mahaniza has faced societal perceptions regarding her work, as it is traditionally considered a male-dominated profession. However, her efforts have begun to change perceptions after a video of her interaction with a television host and singer went viral on social media. This video led to one-off contributions from the public and increased awareness of her struggle.

Despite receiving financial assistance, Mahaniza remains committed to earning her own income to support her family, especially as her husband continues his recovery at Putrajaya Hospital.