Let's bargain, folks, it's Jakarta<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
On a roadside, a person braced against three people who were
\nspeaking in a heightened state of emotion with high-pitched
\nvoices.<\/p>\n
Take a closer look. They're not quarreling. They're just
\nbargaining.<\/p>\n
\"I want this steel can, this knife, and that thermos. You must
\ngive me a bargain price. How about Rp 50,000 for all three?\" an
\nold lady pressed while holding the goods in her hands.<\/p>\n
\"Yes, that's a reasonable price, isn't it? Besides, the can is
\nslightly dented, and the knife looks blunt,\" said a younger man
\nwho was accompanying the old lady.<\/p>\n
Another woman also urged the vendor to lower the price as she
\nwould buy more than one item.<\/p>\n
\"Okay, you can have those for Rp 65,000. It's much cheaper
\nthan buying them at a mall or shopping center, which might come
\nto Rp 80,000. They're brand-new, too, not used,\" responded the
\nsidewalk vendor.<\/p>\n
In less than a minute, the tension had abated with the old
\nlady smiling at the deal. The goods were purchased at a price of
\nRp 65,000 for all, but the other woman left empty-handed as she
\nfelt the price was still too high.<\/p>\n
The art of bargaining is easily found here in the capital,
\nespecially in traditional marketplaces.<\/p>\n
For Shirley, an employee of a private firm in Senayan, South
\nJakarta, the purpose of bargaining is quite simple.<\/p>\n
\"I want to be more thrifty following the hike in utility
\ncharges, which has made prices soar recently,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Shirley, who often purchases goods from sidewalk vendors,
\ncontended that buying from sidewalk vendors was probably much
\ncheaper than shopping at malls or shopping centers.<\/p>\n
However, for many other people, including those of the upper
\nclasses, bargaining has become a deeply-embedded habit.<\/p>\n
\"I like to bargain because it's simply fun and you can get the
\nhigh-quality goods at cheaper prices,\" said Huseini, an employee
\nof a financial firm on Jl. Jend. Sudirman, Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Huseini said he had purchased a branded athletic pants for Rp
\n30,000, a much cheaper price than the Rp 59,900 price tag on the
\nsame kind of clothing at a shopping mall.<\/p>\n
It was his experience, he added, that if customers were well-
\nacquainted with the vendors, they could enjoy much cheaper
\nprices.<\/p>\n
Like Huseini, many young professionals can often be seen
\nwindow-shopping through wide-ranging products on display along
\nthe sidewalk at the Landmark Center on Jl. Jend. Sudirman. They
\nspend their lunchtime browsing pirated VCDs, home appliances,
\nkitchenware, generic clothes and books, as well as knickknacks
\nand other odds-and-ends.<\/p>\n
The price tags stuck on the goods by the traders cannot be
\nused as reference, as buyers can still bargain for cheaper
\nprices.<\/p>\n
Psychologist Sartono Mukadis said the habit of bargaining was
\npart of the people's culture, regardless their welfare status or
\neconomic conditions.<\/p>\n
\"Bargaining is not related to the people's welfare.. It's a
\nway for the people to attain psychological satisfaction, obtained
\nthrough a contest of skills between vendors and buyers,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The buyers are pleased that they have managed to buy goods at
\nprices much cheaper than at other shops, ignoring the fact that
\nbargaining has incurred other costs, such as time and energy to
\nget to shops at which they could bargain.<\/p>\n
\"The difference between the bargain price and fixed price may
\nbe slight, not accounting for the parking fee and general
\nexhaustion. But the psychological enjoyment from the bargaining
\nmatters more than the combined costs,\" said Sartono.<\/p>\n
He added that vendors also enjoyed the psychological joy of
\nbargaining.<\/p>\n
\"The vendors know the real prices, and they also enjoy
\npretending to be benevolent by claiming that the prices have been
\ndiscounted, or that they would only take a small profit; while in
\nactuality, the prices have been raised in advance,\" he
\nexplained .<\/p>\n
Vendors play their roles successfully -- with their pitiful
\ncountenance, their convincing and rational arguments, and their
\nfriendly manner -- if the bargaining process ends with the buyers
\nsatisfied that the goods were cheap.<\/p>\n
\"But, if the buyer leaves upset and feeling cheated, it must
\nbe that the vendor has gone too far over the limits of
\nbargaining,\" Sartono said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/lets-bargain-folks-its-jakarta-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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