Senen vendors offer cheap clothes<\/p>\n
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Forget shopping malls and traditional markets if you
\nwant to get a new shopping experience. There are alternative
\nplaces for you to go.<\/p>\n
Pay a visit to Senen market in Central Jakarta. When you get
\nthere, you will notice a group of street vendors in front of the
\nProyek Senen traditional market near the Matahari department
\nstore, just across from the Atrium Senen. The place looked busy,
\nwith about 100 vendors shouting offers for their goods to
\npassersby.<\/p>\n
Instead of ordinary merchandise, they sell secondhand but
\nstill high quality goods, mostly clothing and footwear. But some
\nof them also offer toys, curtains and bags as well.<\/p>\n
They display the goods just like you see them set out in
\ntemporary stalls. Each stall usually sells only one type of
\nclothing, such as jackets, underwear, men's shirts and so forth.<\/p>\n
Boy, a vendor of women's shirts, told The Jakarta Post over
\nthe weekend that the vendors bought their secondhand goods from
\nan importer in the Tanjung Priok area, North Jakarta, who gets
\nhis supplies from Singapore, Korea, Taiwan and Japan.<\/p>\n
\"Don't worry about the quality. We sell only quality goods
\neven though they are secondhand,\" he told the Post.<\/p>\n
Once a week, Boy buys a sack of clothes. Each sack contains
\ndifferent types of garments. Therefore, Boy and his nephew have
\nto sort them. Usually, they can only sell two third of the goods
\nand dump the rest.<\/p>\n
The vendors have to spend between Rp 1 million (about US$100)
\nto Rp 2 million per sack, depending on the quality of the goods.
\nUsually, one sack contains 100 items of clothing.<\/p>\n
\"Selling secondhand goods can be profitable. Consumers like
\nthem because they can get quality merchandise at low prices,\"
\nsaid Amrin, Boy's colleague.<\/p>\n
Amrin, who sells coats, admitted that he could earn a profit
\nof between Rp 250,000 to Rp 500,000 for each sack he sold.<\/p>\n
The goods are definitely inexpensive. For example, a baby
\nshirt is sold for just Rp 500. You can also get three shirts for
\nonly Rp10,000. It's hard to find any garment costing more than Rp
\n10,000 a piece.<\/p>\n
No wonder many people from around Greater Jakarta, mostly
\nthose on low incomes, visit the place, particularly now when they
\nneed to buy cheap but good quality clothes for the upcoming Idul
\nFitri, Christmas and New Year celebrations.<\/p>\n
But if you think it's only appropriate for low-income people,
\nthink again. Surprisingly, many middle-class customers also enjoy
\nbuying from the street vendors.<\/p>\n
\"I like shopping here. I feel satisfied when I can get a
\nquality shirt or jacket for only Rp 10,000,\" said Liza, an
\nemployee of a private company on Jl. Sudirman.<\/p>\n
She claimed she had once bought a secondhand jacket with an
\noriginal international brandname for only Rp 15,000. But to get
\ngood quality clothes, Liza advised shoppers to be patient and to
\ncompare prices.<\/p>\n
\"Don't underestimate this place. You will experience a new
\nshopping environment here,\" said Liza.<\/p>\n
You can examine the merchandise piece by piece to find a good
\nquality shirt before deciding to buy. The vendors won't be
\noffended if you choose not to purchase anything.<\/p>\n
Boy said he understood that visitors had to check the quality
\nof the goods as they were secondhand. \"Please do so, we serve our
\nconsumers like we'd serve a king,\" he said.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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