The rise in the cost of living has become a burden not only for consumers but for business owners too.

At least in the busy streets of Suva city.

Pockets are slowly being drained as the cost of living quickly touches the sky.

Some business owners and retail workers said business these days was probably worse than before the recent COVID pandemic.

Walking the streets of Suva now, the obvious isn’t so hard to see: that people are now more cautious with how they spend their money.

Yesterday, a shopper by the name of Grace from Valelevu in Nasinu, said her days of coming to the city had lessened because now she not only had to worry about shopping but the transportation costs.

“I used to come to town a lot, to do my shopping but now I stay home because I can no longer afford to be coming every time for shopping due to the high costs of travelling,” Grace said.

She said people would only go out to spend if they had enough to spend.

“One thing I can tell you is, most people that come to town to shop have been saving their money for over a month and that is something that government should think about” she said.

A worker in the customer-service industry expressed her utter distress when approached for an interview by this newspaper.

“We want to spend but then we just don’t have enough to spend,” said long-time barrister at on the busiest cafes in Suva, Melanie Rabaka.

She said the increase in the minimum wage proposed in the 2024-2025 National Budget would not really make a difference to her.

She would rather stay on her same rate and request the law makers to bring the cost of living down to a more reasonable standard.

“You know, this (wage) rate increase is absolutely nothing compared to the cost of living, we take $100 to the shop and all we get in return is only two or three items and that’s it.

“Back in the day, the very same $100 is enough shopping until my next pay-check and this shopping is for my family, including my personal treats.”

Ms Rabaka closed her sentiments with a plea to leaders not to “worry about filling their pockets but worry more of the very people who put them there, and that is us grassroot level workers”.

Yet another shop owner who chose to remain anonymous shared her concerns with regards to challenges she’s facing with fewer customers coming in to buy her products.

“For the past months, my business hasn’t been like before; there is no flow in my business any more. For me, I not only worry about paying my workers but also keeping the doors open for business, now with the wage increase from this government.

“How can I keep up in paying my workers when there is no one even coming to this shop because prices aren’t even comparable to their wages?”

She said she must adjust her prices due to competition in the markets, but this only resulted in losses, and she would have to fork out money to pay back her suppliers.

It is getting harder, she said, to meet her monthly target and profits.

From a business perspective, owners agree that they are finding it tougher as consumers’ shopping habit is slowly starting to change.

People now are careful with how they spend their money while on the other side of the fence, business owners worry about how to keep their business functioning and workers paid.