Secondhand clothes business sluggish<\/p>\n
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Senen market in Central Jakarta is a favorite shopping spot for
\nlow-income people. Here, those with a very limited budget can
\nfind dozens of stalls selling secondhand clothes inside and
\noutside the market.<\/p>\n
\"The quality is good, while the prices are affordable for us.
\nThis is the place where we, a low-income family, go to get 'new'
\nclothes,\" Ida told The Jakarta Post on Thursday while browsing
\nfor an outfit.<\/p>\n
Ida, a resident of Sunter in East Jakarta, was there to buy
\nher Idul Fitri clothes.<\/p>\n
There is no doubt that secondhand clothes are really cheap,
\ncarrying a price tag of as low as Rp 5,000 per piece.<\/p>\n
But the vendors complain about poor sales.<\/p>\n
\"Unlike last year, business is slack during the Ramadhan
\nfasting month now ... even though Idul Fitri is coming,\" Robert,
\nwho sells secondhand gowns and dresses in his three-meter-square
\nstall with plastic sheeting as a roof, said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
He said that only a few customers had visited his stall over
\nthe last three weeks. \"But they did buy a gown or two, they
\nweren't just browsing.\"<\/p>\n
The most favorite items, he said, were long-sleeved and ankle-
\nlength gowns that can be altered into Muslim-style gowns.<\/p>\n
The dresses he sells range in price from Rp 5,000 (around 56
\nUS cents) to Rp 25,000.<\/p>\n
During Ramadhan in past years, Robert said he had to replenish
\nhis stock with a sack of used clothing every two or three days.
\nEach sack contained 100 articles of clothes. This year, it takes
\nhim two weeks to sell one sack.<\/p>\n
The used clothes are imported from other Asian countries, such
\nas Japan, Singapore and Korea. Many are in poor condition, with
\ndirt stains or stains caused by saltwater infiltration.<\/p>\n
The secondhand clothes business started here in the mid-1990s.
\nBusiness was brisk after the economic crisis hit the country in
\n1997.<\/p>\n
Senen market and its surroundings, where used clothes are most
\ncommonly sold, is best known as \"Ayola\" because the sellers
\nalways shout ayolah, ayolah (come on, come on) at customers.<\/p>\n
Doni, another vendor at nearby Jl. Galur, also complained
\nabout the lack of customers. \"I don't know whether it is because
\ntheir buying power has decreased or because they are shopping
\nelsewhere,\" he told the Post.<\/p>\n
He said he suspected that it was more likely that people could
\nnot afford the items because of rising prices.<\/p>\n
He said the prices of used clothes had increased because of
\nthe limited supply, which he suspected was due to a government
\npolicy halting the importation of used clothing.<\/p>\n
A sack of women's clothing is currently priced at Rp 1.6
\nmillion, up from Rp 1.2 million early this year. The price of a
\nsack of men's shirts increased from Rp 1.3 million to Rp 1.8
\nmillion, while a sack of pants and jeans now costs up to Rp 1.3
\nmillion from only Rp 750,000.<\/p>\n
Last year, Doni said, he could sell a pair of used jeans at Rp
\n20,000, but now he asks for Rp 30,000.<\/p>\n
Martinus, who buys and sells used clothing on the sidewalk of
\nJl. Kramat Raya, Central Jakarta, grumbled that business had
\nnever been as slow as it was this fasting month. He has not sold
\nany of his merchandise, the prices of which start from as low as
\nRp 1,500 each.<\/p>\n
\"These are bad times. In the first week of the fasting month I
\nhad only three buyers in a day, but I've had none since last
\nweek. Could shoppers all be in the malls? Lots of discounts are
\noffered there,\" he said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\"Last year was good. But I still remember 1996, my best time
\nfor business,\" the 67-year-old man said.<\/p>\n
It is true that shopping malls are packed these days, but
\nwhether Martinus's customers are there is another question as
\npeople who come to shopping malls are mostly from the middle
\nincome to upper income brackets.<\/p>\n
In Central Jakarta's Tanah Abang market, the most popular
\nplace for low-income people, traders had earlier complained about
\nthe sluggish business.<\/p>\n
Several retailers even grumbled about their tiny profits as
\nvisitors were bargaining for the lowest prices.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/secondhand-clothes-business-sluggish-1447893297",
"image": ""
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