Shop till you drop at big sale

Shop till you drop at big sale

JAKARTA (JP): Pop quiz for the day: What are three things that
can make people jump out of their seats?

Answer: Fire, bomb and... sale!

While "fire" and "bomb" scare everybody and make them scream
"Oh, NO," the other word makes them happy and shout loudly "Oh,
YES". Sale is a magic word that brings hope and joy. Those who do
not have enough money to buy certain products, especially branded
items, at the normal price now have the hope of acquiring them.

No wonder outlets are usually packed during the sale season
and the shoppers do not mind being sandwiched by others (unlike
the crowd in Tanah Abang or any traditional market those hunting
for discounted branded products usually smell good as they wear
expensive perfume). They do not mind spending huge sums of money
-- even though they do not have any cash -- thanks to credit
cards.

"She spent about a million rupiah to buy clothes in a sale," a
friend commented about her sister-in-law who was broke. "She's
just got a job, and pay day is still a few weeks away. She bought
a lot of things anyway with her credit card."

And who can blame her if the ad says: "Big Sale. Up to 70
percents Off?" This is a golden opportunity nobody should miss.

There are some smart people who buy things they really want
and need during the sale season. But there are also others who
shop till they drop, not because they need the items, but because
they believe they are "cheap".

Ellen, an expat, prefers to go to factory outlets to buy
clothes at lower prices. She said that there was a time when she
drove from Jakarta to Bandung and spent the whole day shopping.

"I got my car full of things I bought there, mostly clothes,"
she said, and quickly added "But I did it only once."

Some people have other reasons to buy things they do not
really need. Not because they want to donate them to the
scavengers who check their garbage cans every morning, or to the
beggars who ask for small change when their cars stop at a road
junction. No, they shop because they are lured by the special
offers that they will get if they spend a certain amount of
money.

"If you spend Rp 100,000 you will get a stamp," my friend Dina
told me about a promotion being held by a certain beauty
products' manufacturer. After you collect six stamps, you receive
a membership card which comes with a voucher for Rp 50,000 which
is redeemable if you spend at least Rp 100,000.

"I only spent Rp 170,000, so the shop attendant tried to
persuade me to spend another Rp 30,000 so that I could get
another stamp. But I refused," she said.

Not all shoppers are as "strong" as her. There are others who
cannot resist the temptation to get the voucher as they believe
that this is a smart way to shop.

The word sale automatically brings to mind discounts. This is
true for selected products. But not every "Sale" is a real sale
as the concept of a sale is applied somewhat differently here.

"In America, you can get a Donna Karan top for only five
dollars, or a pair of Calvin Klein jeans for 20 dollars," another
friend quoted her American colleague as saying.

In a country with four seasons, the designers launch new
products every season. When the season is over, the items which
are still in stock are usually sold in the sales.

Here, you may see the same items put on sale several times.
There are also things which are on sale but the price is just the
same.

"I bought a shirt in a prestigious shopping mall for Rp
200,000. On the following week, I read a 'Sale' sign and I rushed
in. There was a sign of '50 percent discount', but the price was
just the same," Dina sulked.

Of course, not all merchants play such dirty tricks - some are
honest and when they put things on sale, they really mean it. And
there are also smart buyers like Dina - after she found that one
of the items of clothing on sale was being sold at the normal
price, she refused point blank to buy anything.

She is, however, still awaiting the next sale.

-- T. Sima Gunawan