Shopping centers attack crowds, record low sales<\/p>\n
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The extreme heat and humidity over the last several days has not
\ndeterred thousands of people from venturing out of their homes to
\ncrowd the city's many shopping centers.<\/p>\n
\"Big Sale\" signs are plastered everywhere, attracting shoppers
\npreparing to celebrate the long-awaited Idul Fitri holiday.<\/p>\n
At Pasar Baru in Central Jakarta, one of the city's oldest
\nshopping centers and popular with middle to lower-class shoppers,
\nhuge crowds pack the stores lining both sides of the street,
\nwhere numerous street vendors have also opened up for business.<\/p>\n
Is this an indication of economic recovery?<\/p>\n
At a glance, one might think so. But talking with several
\nshoppers and traders shows that they are still suffering from the
\nfinancial crisis that hit the country in 1997.<\/p>\n
Roliyah, a mie baso (meatballs and noodle soup) vendor, was
\nshopping for discount children's clothes while carrying her
\nyoungest child. Her two older boys were running around her,
\nsharing an ice cream cone.<\/p>\n
Life is hard for her family. Roliyah and her husband have to
\nstruggle to make both ends meet, but managed to save a little
\nmoney to treat their children during Idul Fitri.<\/p>\n
\"Hopefully I can find something to fit the boys,\" she told The
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
What she meant by \"fit\" was cheap. The price of the children's
\nclothes in the market ranged from Rp 10,000 (about US$1.12) to Rp
\n40,000. For Roliyah, it was still too expensive and she was
\nlikely to go home empty-handed.<\/p>\n
Many other visitors were there just to window-shop since they
\ncould not afford to buy anything, even with discounts of up to 70
\npercent.<\/p>\n
Agus, an employee at clothes store Toko 7, said the year-end
\nbusiness in the market was just as slow as the rest of the year.
\nMany other vendors, both in Pasar Baru and elsewhere, agreed.<\/p>\n
Hendra, who opened a clothing store in the 1980s in Plaza
\nAldiron, Blok M, South Jakarta, said turnover for this holiday
\nseason was 50 percent lower than last year, although the number
\nof visitors to his store during the Ramadhan fasting month was
\nmuch higher compared to the rest of the year.<\/p>\n
\"The increase in the number of visitors is understandable
\nbecause it is an annual routine to shop more than usual. But it
\ndoesn't necessarily mean they are buying anything. Moreover,
\npeople tend to buy food for Idul Fitri rather than clothing,\" he
\ntold the Post.<\/p>\n
Experts consider consumer spending to be an indicator of
\neconomic recovery. Unfortunately, many are predicting weak
\nconsumer spending and a continued business slump this year due to
\npolitical instability and security worries.<\/p>\n
A few people, particularly those in the upper-income levels,
\nmight not feel the pinch, but the data confirms that many people
\nhave lost their jobs, accounting for the rise in the number of
\nurban poor.<\/p>\n
In Greater Jakarta alone, thousands of people have recently
\nbecome unemployed due to the closure of dozens of factories.<\/p>\n
Back in Pasar Baru, Pandi of Batik Indah expressed his
\nsurprise about how slow business was despite the large number of
\npeople in the market.<\/p>\n
\"I wonder are we still in a crisis or not? Or could it be, you
\nknow, corruption is still rampant,\" he wondered.<\/p>",
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