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.