By ZAIN HD

RANDOM Alphabets is known for its flashmob projects, but we started a website last year to compile the best of the best at Ramadan bazaars in the Klang Valley. Everyone goes to Ramadan bazaars, this month, and we wanted the portal to be the space for people to submit short reviews of stalls at the various bazaars.

ParamKL (pasar Ramadan) was also to be the space to go for information on which bazaars to head to, and what is good there.

This year, we had a sponsor supporting our ParamKL project, and we could do giveaways such as mesh recyclable tote bags, postcards made of recycled paper and car stickers. We also distributed close to 1,000 food containers at various bazaars in our quest to get people to use fewer plastic bags.

We spent so much time in the bazaars while working on ParamKL and learnt quite a bit.

Ramadan bazaars happen once a year

In the spirit of sharing, we have compiled five lessons we learnt at the Ramadan bazaars.

Lesson #1: Big hearts, small change

Vendors appreciate customers who pay with small change. It’s true sellers should have change ready for buyers with big notes, but most pasar Ramadan vendors are small-time entrepreneurs and they don’t always have enough change.

Lesson #2: Avoid crowding

When in a group, avoid crowding a particular stall. Instead of wasting time queuing up together, split up and save time. Prospective customers might be turned away by the crowd, and the vendors could lose business.

Lesson #3: Make a list

Do you often find yourself overspending at the bazaar, ending up with leftovers that go to waste? It helps keep our buying impulses at bay when faced with so much choice when we are at our hungriest.

Lesson #4: Park properly

If you have to double park, leave your telephone number on your windshield. We tend to get away with double parking by apologising profusely to the person we blocked, but it’s far better to simply not double park.

I often park as far as I need to and just walk the distance. It’s a good chance to observe and appreciate your surroundings.

Lesson #5: No plastic bags

Bring your own containers for the food, instead of packing them home in plastic bags. We noticed people carrying back loads and loads of plastic bags at the bazaars. Think of how much plastic we could use less of if we’d only bring our own containers for the food, and recyclable bags or baskets to lug them home.

Those were the lessons we learned while running around the pasar Ramadan spots in Kuala Lumpur. We tried to do our part to encourage people to be more environmentally friendly by giving out containers and recyclable tote bags. Practise our tips, and pass them on. And do share with everyone your favourite Param!

q Watch the video, read and contribute food reviews of Param stalls at www.paramkl.com.my/ and facebook.com/paramkl. For daily updates, queries and sharing. Follow them at www.twitter.com/paramkl.