Bird market chirps with discount fever
JAKARTA (JP): Discount fever is flying high in the bird market on Jl. Pramuka, East Jakarta.
Traders say they are offering 10 to 20 percent discounts on particular species every Sunday during the month-long Jakarta Great Sales '97.
A diverse menagerie of birds, including imports from Hong Kong, the Netherlands and South Korea, are available in the market, located on a two-hectare plot of land behind Pasar Pramuka. Prices range from below Rp 10,000 to millions of rupiah.
"This perkutut won a contest recently and costs Rp 5 million," a trader said as he held up a small turtledove prized for its beautiful warbling.
Sarbo, 60, the coordinator of bird sellers at the market, said the Jakarta Great Sales '97 is a good way to promote the bird market, adding that the alluring discounts have attracted huge crowds. Prospective buyers come from all walks of life, including public figures and even a cabinet minister, he said.
He said all traders offered across-the-board 20 percent discounts for birds priced above Rp 50,000 like poksai, cicakrawa (yellow-crowned bulbul) huami and perkutut. Smaller discounts are offered for those at lower prices.
"Don't worry, we won't cheat you," said the man, assuring that the traders didn't mark up the prices before affixing discounts.
Pramuka regulars will be pleased as they can get good bargains. But those less familiar with the ways and wiles of the market might respond with frowns of puzzlement as the birds do not carry any price tags.
"How can we know that we have already got a discount as there are no fixed prices?" said Dony, a government official who accompanied friends to the market last week.
A resident of the nearby Paseban subdistrict went to market with hopes that he could buy a poksai at a big discount.
"I decided not to buy the poksai after learning that such birds are so expensive -- Rp 100,000 each," the father of three said. He finally bought a kutilang (magpie robin) for Rp 15,000. "I would prefer to spend the money for the poksai on my kids' school bags."
Yanto, a trader, believes that birds fanciers won't regret spending hefty sums of money on their coveted favorites.
"They can choose whatever they like. If they don't have much money they can also buy a couple of parakeets for only Rp 5,000," said Yanto, who has run his business at the market for more than 10 years.
"We really have given discounts," he added. "If you know birds, you'll know that we have done this for our customers every Sunday during the event." (03)