{
  "id": 18715636,
  "title": "Limited choice, higher prices push Deepavali shoppers online and out of town",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/07/limited-choice-higher-prices-push-deepavali-shoppers-online-and-out",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-07T13:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail-malaymail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/life/2026/11/07/limited-choice-higher-prices-push-deepavali-shoppers-online-and-out-of-town/242331"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "During Deepavali celebrations in Gua Musang, residents are increasingly turning to online shopping and traveling longer distances for a better selection of festive essentials, with prices that are more affordable. Senior citizen P. Raman, 73, emphasized the importance of viewing designs, assessing quality, and trying on clothes in person, as shopping in-store offers a wider choice compared to Gua Musang's limited offerings. He noted a price difference of around RM10 per piece of clothing when purchasing from stores, but expressed dissatisfaction with online shopping due to the lack of personal interaction. Welder M. Elanggo, 40, found online shopping to be an alternative for obtaining clothes at lower prices, as the range of choices is more extensive in major cities. However, he faced challenges with clothing sizes, which could be addressed by having alterations made by a tailor or reselling ill-fitting items. Single mother of seven R. Parvathy, 68, relied on her children living in Kuala Lumpur to help buy clothes for her, both in-store and through online platforms like Shopee and TikTok, as the local options in Gua Musang are limited and come with higher prices.",
  "summary": "GUA MUSANG, Nov 7 — The joy of celebrating Deepavali knows no bounds, with some residents of Gua Musang willing to...",
  "key_points": [
    "Limited selection in Gua Musang drives shoppers online",
    "Online shopping offers lower prices and greater variety",
    "Traveling longer distances sought for better options"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}