Traditional markets still have charm

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Despite the growing number of hypermarkets and supermarkets in Jakarta, traditional markets have not lost their charm with the public. People continue to flock to them day and night, even though these markets are notorious for their bad smells and wet, muddy floors.

Middle-to-lower-income groups mostly frequent traditional markets because the goods sold there are lower priced.

But competition is looming from new challengers. To win over consumers, hypermarkets and supermarkets are offering cheaper prices, especially for nonedible items, such as soaps, shampoos and detergents.

"I buy my vegetables at this market (Kebayoran Lama Market, South Jakarta) because vegetables are cheaper here. But for my daily needs, such as soap, I go to the nearby supermarket," said Nur, a housewife whose home is two kilometers away from the market. "I came here in a bajaj (three-wheeled taxi)."

Besides cheaper prices for vegetables, a lot of products that are offered at traditional markets cannot be found in modern, air-conditioned hypermarkets or supermarkets.

People who still practice the ritual of offering sajen (offerings of flowers or food) to the spirits, would not find sajen bric-a-brac, such as flower petals and kemenyan (incense) in supermarkets. But the Kebayoran Lama market has several vendors selling them.

A vast assortment of jamu (traditional herbal medicine) is also provided at these markets, including concoctions that claim to have the same effect as Viagra.

Families or food vendors who prefer to use earthenware for preparing their meals will also find the right pot at a traditional market -- not the hypermarket.

And that is not all. Traditional markets have another feature that cannot be matched by hypermarkets: human interaction.

Taty, 27, is a housewife who runs a small catering business in Utan Kayu, East Jakarta. She shops at Genjing market, East Jakarta, every other day to get her vegetables, fish and chicken for her business.

As a result, she has developed good rapport with certain fish and chicken vendors at the market.

"They offer me discounts as long as I buy from them and not other vendors. And another nice thing about traditional markets is that you can bargain," she said.

However, she buys her other needs at a hypermarket near her house because, in her eyes, detergents and shampoos are cheaper at hypermarkets.

Taty noted that hypermarkets and supermarkets had different prices for the same goods, depending on the time they are put on sale.

"I've found out, and my friends will back me up on this, that supermarkets put the prices higher just after pay day, between the 25th of each month and early the following month. Prices are lower during the middle of the month," she said.

As a result, she feels that supermarkets were not reliable because of their pricing inconsistencies. "What are the real prices? I feel like I'm being fooled by the owners of supermarkets, who must be really rich," she said.

She has since become well-acquainted with the vendors at Genjing market and confessed that she has more faith in the prices they offer.

The trust that exists between the sellers and their customers at traditional markets offers another advantage for consumers: They can buy items on credit.

Aho, who has run a small shop selling various cooking ingredients at Palmerah market since 1986, said that he allows some long-time customers to buy on credit.

"Many of my customers are owners of makeshift food stalls or vendors from around the area," he said. There is a risk, however, with long-time customers who owe money.

"Once there was a customer who owed me Rp 200,000 (about US$22), but he never came back."

Despite the bad experience, Aho continues to offer credit to his customers. "I've learned that I have to know them really well before I offer credit," he said.