Back-to-school costly for parents, but not for stores

JAKARTA(JP): A new academic year means new school gear for the children who are ready to go back to school. It also means more outlay for parents.

"I'm a new elementary school student ... must buy everything", said six-year-old Maura, who together with her parents seemed to be enjoying her day out shopping at a back-to-school bazaar in the Pasaraya Department Store in Blok M, South Jakarta.

She eagerly showed of her new purchases, including exercise books, pencils, an eraser and a bag.

Monday will be the first day of school for all students in the city, including Maura who is enrolled in the Tarakanita private elementary school in Central Jakarta.

Another child, eight-year-old Etta, talking about her schoolmate, said, "Sita has bought a new bag already but I haven't." She added that Sita was showing off her new "Barbie" bag.

"I want a Barbie bag too," she remarked at a bag outlet in Pasaraya.

The nearby Blok M Plaza was also crowded with school children and their parents.

"Of course, I want to wear something new to school," said Tagor, a nine-year-old student, who was looking for a pair of sports shoes in a shoe store in Blok M plaza.

Accompanied by his parents, Tagor, a fourth-grade elementary student, was carrying some new exercise books and pencils.

The children's eagerness to buy school requisites, however, entails a major outlay on the part of their parents.

Tagor's father, Sianipar remarked, "It's been a tradition. I don't want to ruin it."

He admitted that he had to "take a little money" out of the family's daily budget to buy what his son wanted.

Meanwhile, Maura's mother, Ika, said, "It costs a lot to buy Maura's school gear but I think she deserves it since it is her first time going to school."

Ika said that she and her husband had to take cash from their bank deposit for Maura's school expenses.

Minar, who together with her husband and two daughters, was shopping in the Utama Bookstore in Depok Mall, said she had to spend at least Rp 1 million (about US$80) on her children's school requisites alone.

"Both of my daughters got good marks in their last tests, so I have no choice but to give in to their demands," she said, adding that both of her daughters attend Al Azhar private elementary school in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta.

By contrast, for bookstores and outlets selling school requisites, the new academic year means big profits.

"Bookstores make a fortune each new academic year," said Gibson P.L. Sitorus, manager of the Utama Bookstore.

The Utama Bookstore holds a back-to-school program annually from July 1 to July 31. To attract more customers, the bookstore gives discounts of up to 30 percent for exercise books, and hands out stickers for book covers.

The biggest bookstore in the city, Gramedia Bookstore, stages a one-month promotion to welcome the academic year as well. While the promotion itself will end on July 31, its exercise books and stationery bazaar will end on Monday.

According to Jay, a customer services assistant at the Gramedia bookstore in Taman Anggrek Mall, the special promotion for the new academic year has helped increase sales by up to 100 percent.

"This year, the customers have responded to the back-to-school program better than in previous years," he noted.

Bookstores are not the only outlets that are enjoying a windfall. Bag and shoe stores such as Bata are raking in the money as well.

Retno Wahyuni, a member of staff at the Bata shoe store in Blok M PLaza said that the back-to-school-program had increased sales by up to 30 percent.

"But last year, we enjoyed a bigger increase than this year," she remarked without elaborating. (04)