JC Penney's final sale attract bargain hunters

JC Penney's final sale attract bargain hunters

JAKARTA (JP): Hundreds of bargain hunters have flocked to JC
Penney outlets in Jakarta and Tangerang to take advantage of huge
discounts following the company's decision to close down its
Indonesian operation.

The huge discounts at JC Penney's three remaining stores --
Mal Taman Anggrek in West Jakarta, Mal Pluit in North Jakarta and
Lippo Karawaci, Tangerang -- began last month.

"The shopping spree is scheduled to end on Dec. 31, the last
day of JC Penney's operation in Indonesia. We will no longer
operate here and these are the last discounts we can give our
customers," Minfu, the store manager at Karawaci, told The
Jakarta Post yesterday.

All items, including jeans, shirts, overcoats, jackets and
tuxedos, are being sold at huge discounts, ranging from 50
percent to 70 percent,

For local, non-JC Penney merchandise, the discounts are
between 20 percent and 50 percent.

"To date we've sold 60 percent of our merchandise which was
originally priced between Rp 30,000 (US$5) and Rp 900,000. During
this sale we intend to 'give it away' to buyers," Minfu said.

Since the sale was announced, the three outlets have been
inundated with frenzied buyers and some even shopped until they
dropped.

"The shops are open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. so I think the
shoppers have a lot of time to buy stuff."

Rika Sumampow, a customer at the Mal Taman Anggrek store, said
that she had spent up to Rp 1.7 million in the past 10 days.

"Since I heard about the sale, I've come back and forth four
times."

When interviewed, she was still trying to find a jacket for
herself and another for her husband.

"This sale falls at the right time (because of the festive
season). The price, for me, is incredibly low. Almost the same
price as we see in Matahari department stores," the 28-year-old
woman said.

Another buyer, 19-year-old Reza, said that he never thought he
could afford to buy a jacket -- with an original price tag of Rp
750,000 -- in a fancy store.

"Only because of the sale can I afford to buy one. Next time I
don't know. I don't think I could afford it." Reza got a 70
percent discount on the jacket.

JC Penney -- a giant retail chain -- decided to pull out of
Indonesia due to the impact of the monetary crisis, which has
affected most businesses here.

"We started this business two years ago, targeting middle- to
upper-class buyers as our customers. But maybe because of the
saturated market -- due to the mushrooming of retail chains here
coupled with the impact of the currency crisis -- the owner chose
to close them down," Minfu said.

Most JC Penney outlets, such as those in Plaza Senayan in
Central Jakarta, Pondok Indah in South Jakarta and Kelapa Gading
in East Jakarta, were closed down months ago, he said.

A customer assistant at the JC Penney store in Mal Anggrek
expressed his concern over the decision to shut up shops in
Indonesia

"Many of us probably have to go. The management's
representative has announced that we are to be transferred to
other jobs but, until now, nothing is certain," Sukiman said.

Reports said that some 400 workers have been hired since JC
Penney opened up stores here.

Minfu said that he will be transferred to Multipolar, the
local partner of JC Penney, which established the chain in
Indonesia with foreign partners Wal-Mart and JC Penney, in 1995.

"I was lucky to be able to keep my job. The most important
thing now is to help the workers by transferring them to
Multipolar's subsidiaries."

"Right now we are concentrating on having a successful closing
down sale. So we hope that at least people really can see the
quality of the products, despite the enormous discounts we are
giving." (edt)