Hypermarkets offer special incentives to attract buyers
Hypermarkets offer special incentives to attract buyers
Debbie A. Lubis, Contributor, Jakarta
Shopping can be exhausting sometimes, especially if you are
fasting and you have yet to pick up all the items on your
shopping list for the Idul Fitri holiday.
However, it can be great fun if you do it in an air-
conditioned hypermarket, full of soft music and a lot of special
prices, facilities and prizes.
With the concept of one-stop shopping, these hypermarkets have
successfully lured shoppers from traditional markets. They sell
everything from fresh food to canned food, clothes to
electronics, sports equipment to tools, books and stationery.
Hypermarkets also provide complete facilities like a food
court, telecommunications center, ATM booths, even children's
playground and Internet cafe. These modern retailers also provide
facilities for payments via ATM cards or by credit card.
A wide variety of food and non-food products with big
discounts, easy parking and long opening hours surely will ease
any pain of wandering around a warehouse-like building of between
50,00 square feet and 200,000 square feet.
No wonder hundreds of shoppers storm multinational as well as
local hypermarket chains like Alfa, Carrefour, Giant, Goro and
Makro in Greater Jakarta.
Although fasting, most of the shoppers are willing to stand in
long queues, their shopping carts full of fresh food, syrup,
biscuits, snacks and also Muslim attire.
"I don't have to haggle over price anymore since the price
here is already fixed and reasonable. The place is also more
convenient than the market because I always take along my kids,"
said Meliana Pratiwi, 34. She was busy picking out fresh fish and
seafood displayed on an ice-layered table at Carrefour Lebak
Bulus. Her cart was already loaded with sale items like biscuits,
syrup, a prayer mat, milk, etc.
Besides offering special prices for food, clothes and
electronic goods, the French retailer Carrefour also is holding a
bedug (large drum used in the call to prayer) beating competition
at its outlets in Jakarta and Bandung. The winners will receive
shopping vouchers worth millions of rupiah and also packages of
sarongs and Muslim shirts.
Meanwhile, Giant hypermarket, which is operated by publicly
listed company PT Hero Supermarket, provides free meals and
beverages for its customers to break their fast from 5:50 p.m. to
6 p.m. It also offers special discounts on several items,
including food, clothes and gift parcels.
"There is an average 20 percent increase in customer visits
during Ramadhan at all of our outlets," said Ipung Kurnia,
president director of PT Hero Supermarket.
Giant has so far established outlets in Serpong, Tangerang,
Cimanggis, East Jakarta and Plaza Semanggi, South Jakarta and
well as in West Bekasi, Bandung and Surabaya. An increase in
customer numbers has moved Giant to extend its opening hours from
8 a.m. to 12 a.m. from Nov. 21 to Nov. 23. It will remain open
for 24 hours on Nov. 22 so people can shop before Idul Fitri.
Giant also helps its Muslim customers who want to pay
their zakat (donation to the poor) through their cashiers. The
money will be given to the poor through a charity called Dompet
Dhuafa, organized by Republika daily.
Furthermore, the hypermarket will have a calligraphy
competition at all of its outlets on Nov. 16.
Giant also gives instant gifts to customers who spend a
certain amount of money in one visit. It also provides prizes
based on shopping coupons that will be announced after Idul
Fitri. The prizes consist of motorcycles, electronic goods, etc.
Alfa "Gudang Rabat", which is operated by Alfa Retailindo, has
focused its price cuts on gift parcels for Idul Fitri and goods
related with the celebration. It also offers large discounts for
bulk purchases of certain items.
"I prefer shopping here because there are free gift parcels
containing eggs, flour, etc. if I use my credit card and ATM.
Besides, the parcels here are affordable so that my company can
give them to employees," said businesswoman Dian Anggraini.
Parcels at Alfa range in price from Rp 60,000 (about US$7) to Rp
550,000.
In addition, Alfa also is holding a lucky draw competition in
cooperation with a leading snack producer, enticing more people
to shop. The prizes offered are a car, motorcycles, cellular
phones and shopping vouchers.
The retailer is also cooperating with a multinational company
to provide year-end coupon gifts. For every purchase worth Rp
20,000 of certain items, customers will get a coupon that gives
them the chance to win a car, a three-day trip to Bali, digital
camera and cash worth Rp 500,000.