KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 — The PriceCatcher application developed by the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) in 2017 has become a platform for people to shop more wisely in facing the rising prices of goods.
KPDN’s National Price of Goods Division director Selvi Shanmugam said with the app, users can plan their daily expenses by comparing the prices of 480 items, including fresh and dry products, packaged/canned/boxed/bottled goods, milk and baby products, hygiene products, and beverages, from among nearby premises before buying.
“This app provides users with option to shop at the listed premises based on the items selected. In addition, users can also check and compare the prices in advance and identify the premises that offer the lowest price before heading to the store.
“Users can also estimate the total cost of their purchases using 10 selected items placed in ‘My Basket’. All users can use this app, especially those who want to save money in their spending,” she told Bernama recently.
She said that the PriceCatcher mobile app, which can be downloaded for free from the Google Play Store, Apple App Store, and Huawei App Gallery, has many interesting features, including searching by item, by product category and by location.
According to Selvi, the PriceCatcher app will display the prices of goods for premises based on the user’s current location, within a 10-kilometre radius for Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan, and within a 20-kilometre radius for Sabah and Sarawak.
She said KPDN constantly monitors the prices of goods at 1,500 premises, including wet markets, hypermarkets, supermarkets, mini markets, and convenience stores, to be included in the app.
She also said prices displayed for fresh and dry goods at wet markets, hypermarkets, and supermarkets will be updated daily except on public holidays, while those for packaged goods, milk, and baby products will be updated weekly.
“For hygiene and beverage products, they will be updated monthly. Mini markets and convenience stores are included in weekly and monthly monitoring. The update time for prices of goods at wet markets is before 9.30am, while for hypermarkets and supermarkets, it is before noon,” she said.
However, Selvi clarified that the prices displayed in PriceCatcher are real-time prices at the premises during monitoring by KPDN’s Price Monitoring Officers (PPH).
“These prices, however, are subject to changes made by the sellers, which are beyond our control,” she said.
PriceCatcher app users can also channel any information regarding trader misconduct, complaints or the likes to KPDN through WhatsApp at 019-279 4317 and 019-848 8000, or by calling the call centre or hotline at 1-800-886-800.
Alternatively, users can complain through the e-aduan.kpdn.gov.my portal, email at [email protected], and through the Ez ADU KPDN application.
For the record, as of today, the PriceCatcher app has been downloaded 315,789 times, with 2,000 daily visitors.
— Bernama
