Phenomenon at Madura Shops: A Sign That Indonesia's Economy Is Not Doing Well?

Economic pressures are beginning to be felt even at small neighbourhood warungs. A shopkeeper at a Madura warung in Cirendeu, South Tangerang, Mukmin, admitted to noticing changes in customer behaviour, with people now more restrained in their spending compared to before.

“Lately, I’ve seen that people tend to buy less. For example, those who used to buy 5 litres of rice now buy just 2 litres at a time,” he said when met by CNBC Indonesia, quoted on Wednesday (13/5/2026).

At the warung where he works, customers still come for daily needs such as instant noodles, eggs, coffee, and cigarettes. However, the volume of purchases is not always stable throughout the month.

“Once it hits the 15th and beyond, it seems like it’s no longer a picture of Soekarno (the Rp100,000 note),” said Mukmin, joking with a customer.

The shopping patterns at the warung illustrate how the public is starting to adjust expenditures amid the pressures of living costs. According to Mukmin, customers are usually more liberal with their spending at the beginning of the month when they have just received their salaries.

“End of the month is like fasting, but the beginning of the month usually means plenty of money,” he said.

The area around the warung is also filled with project workers and construction labourers who have different income patterns from office employees. This factor makes the daily transaction conditions at the warung highly dependent on the job situation in the surrounding environment.

“Yes, in the back. Behind the river this time, it’s entering a housing area, right. It’s being built up, like housing developments,” said Mukmin.