Parcel business very lucrative during holidays<\/p>\n
Leony Aurora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Cikini railway station, Central Jakarta, normally characterized
\nby inner-city train commuters walking hither and thither, is
\ncurrently attracting another type of person.<\/p>\n
Upcoming Idul Fitri on Nov. 25 and Nov. 26 has brought this
\nnew breed to the yellow-colored station. The small shops on the
\nground floor, which sell baskets and wedding souvenirs throughout
\nthe year, have become the hunting ground, since early this month,
\nfor people seeking materials to make parcels.<\/p>\n
Baskets in a variety of forms and sizes, mostly made of
\nrattan, almost completely cover the sidewalk. Customers zigzag
\ntheir way through the mass, selecting baskets, ribbons, or little
\nplastic ketupat (rice cakes in diamond-shaped packets of plaited
\nyoung coconut leaves, typically eaten at Idul Fitri).<\/p>\n
\"We're very busy right now,\" was the typical answer when The
\nJakarta Post tried to talk to some shop owners on Monday. \"It
\nwould be better if you come in the evening,\" said one of them.
\nWith only four days to go, the shops there are open 24 hours a
\nday.<\/p>\n
This hustle and bustle will continue until a day before Idul
\nFitri, when there is a three-day pause during the holiday, and
\nwill then resume to meet the demand for Christmas.<\/p>\n
In big cities in Indonesia, it is a tradition to send
\ncolleagues parcels at Idul Fitri and Christmas. The contents,
\nhowever, are more varied than ever now. Not only food and
\nbeverages, but even sets of ceramic dishes, clocks, sarongs and
\nglassware grace the baskets, too.<\/p>\n
With little needed other than a good connection with offices,
\na sense of art and hard work for several days, parcel trading has
\nbecome a lucrative business.<\/p>\n
A shop owner at Cikini station, Eva Dian Amriwati, started her
\nbusiness four years ago. Last year, she said, she made a net
\nprofit of Rp 40 million (US$4705.88) from selling Idul Fitri
\npackages.<\/p>\n
Her enterprise may enjoy even a higher profit this season, as
\nshe has received more orders. \"I think it's because of the
\nupcoming general elections next year,\" Eva said, smiling.<\/p>\n
The parcel-making business has quite a tempting profit margin.
\n\"For one parcel stacked with food, I'd say I spend about Rp
\n250,000,\" said Diah, a parcel maker. She can sell the packages at
\nRp 400,000 each. Working alone, the 39-year-old woman can
\ncomplete 40 parcels within two days.<\/p>\n
Another place famous for its parcels in Jakarta is Jl. Haji
\nSamali, Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
It started out with Nabila, a shop specializing in parcels,
\nwhich has remained the most popular. Many people have followed in
\nits footsteps and taken a bite of the parcel cake, and now 25
\nseasonal parcel shops, which bloom only with the approach of Idul
\nFitri and Christmas, call out to passersby on the road.<\/p>\n
Achmad Kholil, of Azahra Parcel, opened his shop four years
\nago using workers already trained in making decorations. \"Mine
\nwas the third shop on this street,\" he claimed.<\/p>\n
In the first year, Achmad's shop sold about 300 parcels in the
\nrun-up to Idul Fitri. In the second year sales reached 500, while
\nlast year it was 1,000. This year, with still a week to go, his
\nsales already approach 1,000 parcels.<\/p>\n
Food packages sell for Rp 200,000 to Rp 450,000, while those
\nfilled with ceramics or glassware fetch Rp 400,000 to Rp 5.5
\nmillion.<\/p>\n
Each shop tries to be different, by means of the contents or
\npackaging on offer. \"This year, my baskets are shaped like
\nchairs,\" said Achmad.<\/p>\n
Another shop, Ilham Parcel, uses tables made of tree roots as
\nthe base for its exclusive packages. It sells about 60 parcels a
\nday and has customers from private and state companies.<\/p>\n
Curiously, most of the packages on display are decorated
\nwithout tiny Idul Fitri ketupat or the red and green of
\nChristmas.<\/p>\n
\"We keep them neutral so we can sell the parcels that remain
\nafter Idul Fitri for Christmas,\" said Oding, a worker at Ilham
\nParcel, with a grin. It was better that way, he said, shrewdly.<\/p>",
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