Let's bargain, folks, it's Jakarta

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

On a roadside, a person braced against three people who were speaking in a heightened state of emotion with high-pitched voices.

Take a closer look. They're not quarreling. They're just bargaining.

"I want this steel can, this knife, and that thermos. You must give me a bargain price. How about Rp 50,000 for all three?" an old lady pressed while holding the goods in her hands.

"Yes, that's a reasonable price, isn't it? Besides, the can is slightly dented, and the knife looks blunt," said a younger man who was accompanying the old lady.

Another woman also urged the vendor to lower the price as she would buy more than one item.

"Okay, you can have those for Rp 65,000. It's much cheaper than buying them at a mall or shopping center, which might come to Rp 80,000. They're brand-new, too, not used," responded the sidewalk vendor.

In less than a minute, the tension had abated with the old lady smiling at the deal. The goods were purchased at a price of Rp 65,000 for all, but the other woman left empty-handed as she felt the price was still too high.

The art of bargaining is easily found here in the capital, especially in traditional marketplaces.

For Shirley, an employee of a private firm in Senayan, South Jakarta, the purpose of bargaining is quite simple.

"I want to be more thrifty following the hike in utility charges, which has made prices soar recently," she said.

Shirley, who often purchases goods from sidewalk vendors, contended that buying from sidewalk vendors was probably much cheaper than shopping at malls or shopping centers.

However, for many other people, including those of the upper classes, bargaining has become a deeply-embedded habit.

"I like to bargain because it's simply fun and you can get the high-quality goods at cheaper prices," said Huseini, an employee of a financial firm on Jl. Jend. Sudirman, Central Jakarta.

Huseini said he had purchased a branded athletic pants for Rp 30,000, a much cheaper price than the Rp 59,900 price tag on the same kind of clothing at a shopping mall.

It was his experience, he added, that if customers were well- acquainted with the vendors, they could enjoy much cheaper prices.

Like Huseini, many young professionals can often be seen window-shopping through wide-ranging products on display along the sidewalk at the Landmark Center on Jl. Jend. Sudirman. They spend their lunchtime browsing pirated VCDs, home appliances, kitchenware, generic clothes and books, as well as knickknacks and other odds-and-ends.

The price tags stuck on the goods by the traders cannot be used as reference, as buyers can still bargain for cheaper prices.

Psychologist Sartono Mukadis said the habit of bargaining was part of the people's culture, regardless their welfare status or economic conditions.

"Bargaining is not related to the people's welfare.. It's a way for the people to attain psychological satisfaction, obtained through a contest of skills between vendors and buyers," he said.

The buyers are pleased that they have managed to buy goods at prices much cheaper than at other shops, ignoring the fact that bargaining has incurred other costs, such as time and energy to get to shops at which they could bargain.

"The difference between the bargain price and fixed price may be slight, not accounting for the parking fee and general exhaustion. But the psychological enjoyment from the bargaining matters more than the combined costs," said Sartono.

He added that vendors also enjoyed the psychological joy of bargaining.

"The vendors know the real prices, and they also enjoy pretending to be benevolent by claiming that the prices have been discounted, or that they would only take a small profit; while in actuality, the prices have been raised in advance," he explained .

Vendors play their roles successfully -- with their pitiful countenance, their convincing and rational arguments, and their friendly manner -- if the bargaining process ends with the buyers satisfied that the goods were cheap.

"But, if the buyer leaves upset and feeling cheated, it must be that the vendor has gone too far over the limits of bargaining," Sartono said.