Parcel business very lucrative during holidays

Parcel business very lucrative during holidays

Leony Aurora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Cikini railway station, Central Jakarta, normally characterized
by inner-city train commuters walking hither and thither, is
currently attracting another type of person.

Upcoming Idul Fitri on Nov. 25 and Nov. 26 has brought this
new breed to the yellow-colored station. The small shops on the
ground floor, which sell baskets and wedding souvenirs throughout
the year, have become the hunting ground, since early this month,
for people seeking materials to make parcels.

Baskets in a variety of forms and sizes, mostly made of
rattan, almost completely cover the sidewalk. Customers zigzag
their way through the mass, selecting baskets, ribbons, or little
plastic ketupat (rice cakes in diamond-shaped packets of plaited
young coconut leaves, typically eaten at Idul Fitri).

"We're very busy right now," was the typical answer when The
Jakarta Post tried to talk to some shop owners on Monday. "It
would be better if you come in the evening," said one of them.
With only four days to go, the shops there are open 24 hours a
day.

This hustle and bustle will continue until a day before Idul
Fitri, when there is a three-day pause during the holiday, and
will then resume to meet the demand for Christmas.

In big cities in Indonesia, it is a tradition to send
colleagues parcels at Idul Fitri and Christmas. The contents,
however, are more varied than ever now. Not only food and
beverages, but even sets of ceramic dishes, clocks, sarongs and
glassware grace the baskets, too.

With little needed other than a good connection with offices,
a sense of art and hard work for several days, parcel trading has
become a lucrative business.

A shop owner at Cikini station, Eva Dian Amriwati, started her
business four years ago. Last year, she said, she made a net
profit of Rp 40 million (US$4705.88) from selling Idul Fitri
packages.

Her enterprise may enjoy even a higher profit this season, as
she has received more orders. "I think it's because of the
upcoming general elections next year," Eva said, smiling.

The parcel-making business has quite a tempting profit margin.
"For one parcel stacked with food, I'd say I spend about Rp
250,000," said Diah, a parcel maker. She can sell the packages at
Rp 400,000 each. Working alone, the 39-year-old woman can
complete 40 parcels within two days.

Another place famous for its parcels in Jakarta is Jl. Haji
Samali, Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta.

It started out with Nabila, a shop specializing in parcels,
which has remained the most popular. Many people have followed in
its footsteps and taken a bite of the parcel cake, and now 25
seasonal parcel shops, which bloom only with the approach of Idul
Fitri and Christmas, call out to passersby on the road.

Achmad Kholil, of Azahra Parcel, opened his shop four years
ago using workers already trained in making decorations. "Mine
was the third shop on this street," he claimed.

In the first year, Achmad's shop sold about 300 parcels in the
run-up to Idul Fitri. In the second year sales reached 500, while
last year it was 1,000. This year, with still a week to go, his
sales already approach 1,000 parcels.

Food packages sell for Rp 200,000 to Rp 450,000, while those
filled with ceramics or glassware fetch Rp 400,000 to Rp 5.5
million.

Each shop tries to be different, by means of the contents or
packaging on offer. "This year, my baskets are shaped like
chairs," said Achmad.

Another shop, Ilham Parcel, uses tables made of tree roots as
the base for its exclusive packages. It sells about 60 parcels a
day and has customers from private and state companies.

Curiously, most of the packages on display are decorated
without tiny Idul Fitri ketupat or the red and green of
Christmas.

"We keep them neutral so we can sell the parcels that remain
after Idul Fitri for Christmas," said Oding, a worker at Ilham
Parcel, with a grin. It was better that way, he said, shrewdly.