Specialty shops become trendy in big cities<\/p>\n
By I. Christianto and Prapti Widinugraheni<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Increasing competition and the desire of
\nretailers to meet the specific needs of customers have given rise
\nto specialty shops selling single-category products that would
\notherwise be sold in general stores.<\/p>\n
Avid shoppers looking for fresh fruit no longer need to plow
\nthrough the muck and garbage lining the alleys of traditional
\nmarkets or haggle over prices with scruffy-looking vendors.<\/p>\n
Those seeking hardware can do so without waiting half an hour
\nat the counter of a dingy hardware store down the road before
\ngetting the listless shopkeeper's attention.<\/p>\n
Supermarkets and department stores are bright, clean and airy,
\nbut where are those mangosteens, raspberries, toilet plungers and
\nPhillips-head screwdrivers when you need them?<\/p>\n
Specialty shops sell rows and rows of products belonging to
\none category, like fruit or hardware. The goods may be locally
\nproduced or imported -- so price is not always a selling point --
\nbut there is a wide range to choose from and a guarantee that the
\nitems are of good, standard quality.<\/p>\n
Since the stores sell specific types of merchandise, customers
\ntend to be more focused so there is normally the prospect of
\navoiding crowds and traffic jams. Even parking may be quite easy
\nand bargaining definitely unnecessary.<\/p>\n
At Rumahkita, for example, customers can find almost every
\ntype of household item and hardware imaginable, from keys and
\nlocks, telephones, cleaning tools, electrical appliances and
\nfittings, gardening tools, video games to automobile accessories.<\/p>\n
According to Hendrick Casidy, the director of Rumahkita's
\noperator, PT Prima Duaribu Sukses, more people now prefer to make
\njust one stop to get all their hardware needs.<\/p>\n
\"With Rumahkita, shoppers do not have to go to several shops
\nto purchase, for instance, keys or lock openers, telephone
\nterminals and lamps,\" he says.<\/p>\n
Rumahkita opened its first outlet in Karawaci Supermall,
\nTangerang, last year. Three more outlets have opened in Bali,
\nCiputra Mall in West Jakarta, and Bintaro, Tangerang. The fifth
\nshop will be opened in Surabaya next month.<\/p>\n
\"We plan to operate 10 shops by the end of this year,\" says
\nCasidy, adding that his company guarantees consumers will get the
\nbest quality products.<\/p>\n
\"Staff at Rumahkita are well-trained. They will assist all
\nshoppers, whether they want to just window-shop, select or buy,\"
\nhe says.<\/p>\n
Another specialty shop which claims to have a distinct
\nadvantage over its competitors is Total Buah Segar, a fresh fruit
\nstore which has outlets in Slipi, West Jakarta, on Jl. Panglima
\nPolim in South Jakarta and at the Ambassador Mall in Central
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
According to shop director Rudi Tatan, because Total takes a
\nmore professional approach to selling fresh fruit, its customers
\nhave the advantage of getting better service and better produce.<\/p>\n
\"We can't claim to be the cheapest, especially because prices
\non the traditional market fluctuate on a daily basis,\" he says.<\/p>\n
That leaves supermarkets as Total's main competitor. \"Our
\nadvantage is that we know how to handle fresh fruit properly,
\nwhich is very important because we are dealing with perishables
\nthat can be 'lost'. Supermarkets, on the other hand, may treat
\nfruit the same way they handle vegetables and meat.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/specialty-shops-become-trendy-in-big-cities-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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