Price hike

Price hike

It certainly does not pay to be a "paleface" when shopping at
what is, supposedly, Jakarta's most prestigious (not one of a
chain) supermarket.

A friend of mine recently overheard the proprietor of this
establishment, when questioned about an apparently sharp price
increase of a certain product, to remark, "So what? westerners
will pay anything!" That, I suppose is the attitude of mind that
accounts for a recent price hike for a pack of Ryvita from Rp
7,200 to Rp 10,150, and a large jar of Sanka from Rp 13,000 to Rp
19,000. Well this westerner is not prepared to be ripped off in
this way, and I suggest that my fellow westerners, who patronize
this particular emporium, register their protests against this
cynical attitude by boycotting the place. Most of what they
require can be bought in the larger stores of the main
supermarket chains, anyway. The rip-off prices would soon fall
to an acceptable level.

James Richards

Jakarta