A Malaysian has claimed that speaking with a Kuala Lumpur accent may have cost them nearly RM30 for a meal at a market in Kelantan, after they overheard a local customer being charged just RM10.
The incident, which reportedly happened some time ago at Pasar Siti Khadijah, was shared in a comment on Threads amid a discussion about whether speaking the local dialect could affect prices.
According to the commenter, they spotted some large prawns while visiting the market and overheard a Kelantanese man asking a trader how much he owed after finishing his meal.
The trader reportedly told the man RM10, which the commenter considered a bargain.
Encouraged by the seemingly affordable price, they decided to eat at the same place. However, they claimed their own bill came to nearly RM30.
The commenter suspected their Kuala Lumpur accent might have contributed to the difference, although they did not clarify whether both customers had ordered the same dishes or portions.
The post prompted others to share similar experiences involving food and shopping in different parts of Malaysia.
One commenter recalled buying coconut water in Kedah around eight years ago, claiming they paid RM3 on the first day after indicating their order with one finger.
On the second day, they reportedly used the word “satu” and were charged the same amount.
However, they claimed the price rose to RM4 on the third day after they placed their order using a full sentence.
Another commenter recounted shopping for batik in Terengganu, alleging they were quoted more than RM40 for an item while someone speaking the local dialect was offered RM30 for the same item and material.
The commenter said they later brought a friend from Terengganu along on another shopping trip.
However, not everyone agreed that speaking a local dialect resulted in cheaper prices.
One Kelantanese commenter said they had never received a discount simply for speaking Kelantanese, even while living in Kota Bharu.
Another person who had studied in Kota Bharu said they paid the same prices as everyone else despite not being from Kelantan, adding that they still spoke with an East Coast accent.
While several commenters suspected their accents had influenced the prices they were quoted, the accounts did not establish whether dialect was responsible for the differences or whether other factors, such as order sizes and items purchased, played a role.
