Rp 10,000 for a candy?

Rp 10,000 for a candy?

From Republika

On the morning of March 4, my husband and I took our two-and-a-half year old child to the Borobudur shop, close to Pasar Anyer in Tangerang. I did my shopping of daily needs and paid for them, while my husband and junior went to the playground.

While my husband was playing darts, junior walked away. We looked for him and found him holding a candy in his hand. A security guard suddenly emerged saying the candy had not been paid for. My protest fell on deaf ears. I offered to go to the cashier again, but to no avail. The guard was unrelenting.

We were led into a room. The security guard accused us of taking the candy. After questioning junior, he admitted taking the candy. Candies were displayed on a shelf easily accessible, even to children.

The security guard said the matter was not trivial. It had to be brought to the attention of his superiors. If we refused, he said, we had to pay a fine. He showed us a list of offenders. We were willing to pay a Rp 10,000 fine plus the price of the candy.

Afterwards I remembered the experience of one of our neighbors. She was coerced by a shop into paying a fine of Rp 300,000.

I would like to ask the management of the Borobudur shop if the policy of fines has been considered thoroughly? If so, what is the justification of it? I would like to warn consumers to be wary of the possibility that other shops also implement similar policies.

Name and address

known to the editor