Shopping centers swarmed prior to Idul Fitri

Shopping centers swarmed prior to Idul Fitri

JAKARTA (JP): With a week left before the Idul Fitri holidays,
shoppers are braving traffic jams and flooded roads to reach the
city's retail and wholesale centers.

Most shopping centers saw double the regular number of buyers
over the weekend. Sources at various outlets of Borobudur,
Matahari, Mega Pasaraya and Ramayana said sales have increased
from 50 to 70 percent over last month.

To accommodate the crowds, Matahari and a number of
supermarkets are keeping their doors open an extra hour until 10
p.m.

Basuki Ismael, a manager of the wholesale Makro store, said
Makro's four branches have recorded some 4,000 shoppers a day
over the past three weeks.

"Revenues have hit Rp 300 million (US$129.59) a day," Basuki
said, adding that food sales have experienced the greatest
increase.

He said 1,500 people per day and revenues of some Rp 200
million was average.

Basuki said the floods did have an impact at certain branches
like Makro in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, where sales dropped
to Rp 70 million a day.

However, traders at the city's markets were not faring as
well. In Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, some merchants said
business hadn't changed, while others said this year has been far
less lucrative than last year.

"We usually sell up to five 15-kilograms boxes per day, but
lately we haven't even been able to sell three," said Joko, a
fruit seller.

Regardless, customers continue to shop in Tanah Abang, where
attractive prices can be had if one has the necessary bargaining
skills.

"We usually come here because we can find many things, often
unexpectedly," said Yanti, a regular shopper.

In Blok M, South Jakarta, where choices range from shoes at Rp
2,000 to brand names for millions of rupiah, crowds of shoppers
make walking even short distances difficult.

As of yesterday, the management of the underground Blok M mall
said the number of shoppers is around 60,000 a day.

Another 60,000 shoppers fill the nearby Mega Pasaraya and
Seibu Department Store daily, a 100 percent increase compared to
last December and January, said Ujang, a marketing division staff
member.

At least 200,000 people enter the Blok M terminal per day from
all over the city.

Supriyadi, a shopper who lives in Slipi, West Jakarta, said he
comes to Blok M because the department store in his area is too
expensive.

"Here there are more choices," he said while selecting shirts
at the Ramayana department store.

Street traders offer clothes at slightly cheaper prices, but,
he said, "we're more sure of the quality in department stores."

Joefry Monaga, a manager at the Blok M Ramayana department
store, said the 70 percent increase in sales was made up mainly
of clothing for teenagers and young families.

Another Ramayana employee said the jeans counter alone sees an
average of Rp 25 million in sales per day from about 5,000
shoppers.

The outlets expect the crowds to subside a few days before the
Idul Fitri festivities on Feb. 20-21, when many will have
returned to their home villages.

However, managers at Matahari and Pasaraya said their stores
will probably still be full since many of their higher-income
buyers will not be among those who leave Jakarta. (04/15/sur/anr)