`I don't feel satisfied if I don't bargain'
During the economic crisis, when goods became more and more expensive, people had to tighten their belts and minimize their spending. If they wanted to buy something, they had to check the price first and then bargain to get it at the lowest price. But bargaining is not new at all. On the contrary, it is in the blood of most people, including those in the middle-upper income bracket. The Jakarta Post talked to several people about the art of bargaining.
Retno, 40-something, is an employee at a television station in Jakarta:
If I visit shops or vendors that do not offer fixed prices, I always feel a strong urge to bargain. If I do not bargain, I do not feel satisfied.
Once I saw a refrigerator at a famous hypermarket here that offered fixed prices. Then I looked for a similar unit at Bendungan Hilir market, Central Jakarta. One shop offered a lower price than that of the hypermarket.
However, I persisted in asking the seller for a lower price and he sold me the refrigerator at a price Rp 100,000 lower than the one at the hypermarket.
I feel so proud and satisfied every time I succeed in bargaining. On the other hand I feel very upset if I know that I've had a bad bargain.
Once I bargained for a bedsheet from a vendor in Senayan. I was in a hurry and did not bargain hard enough. I got it for Rp 35,000, while afterwards I noticed another buyer had paid Rp 30,000 for the same item. I felt so annoyed because of that.
When I was in Singapore, I went to an electronics center, like Glodok in Jakarta. I also started to bargain, but the seller seemed a little annoyed because of it. He said in a loud voice, "You must be from Indonesia!"
However, I got the item at a price lower than the original offer price.
I think if you have the time, it's better to shop for electronic goods in shops that do not have fixed prices.
Widi, 29, is a copywriter for an advertising agency in Jakarta:
Last holiday season I went home to Yogyakarta. As gifts for my friends in Jakarta, I bought 10 ethnic bracelets in Malioboro, Yogyakarta. The vendor first offered them at Rp 7,500 each (about 80 US cents). I said that I would buy 10 at Rp 3,000 each. First, he didn't accept the deal, but as I walked away, he called me and sold them at my price.
I also bargain every time I buy automotive spare parts.
Recently I bought brake pads for my car in a shop on Jl. Fatmawati. First, I surveyed the price of the pad in three shops in the street. Then I went back to a shop that offered the lowest price, which was Rp 175,000. I bargained and finally the vendor sold it for Rp 150,000.
At the time I felt that I had a good deal.
Aming, 30, works for a furniture company:
I usually go to shops that offer fixed prices to survey the standard prices. At the time I actually want to buy, I go to places such as Glodok or Senen market.
Recently, I bought a gas stove at Senen market after checking the fixed price in a hypermarket.
I entered about five shops to find out about the best bargain before I closed the deal. Some of the shops offered initial prices that were higher than the price in the hypermarket. So I bargained at a shop that offered the best deal.
Finally, I got the stove for Rp 10,000 lower than its price at the hypermarket.
Sometimes I buy goods in shops that offer fixed prices. Sometimes, I accidentally find lower prices for the same items in other shops. If that happens, I feel a little bit annoyed.
-- Evi Maryani