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.