The Mom’s
Territory
Even though various kind of modern shopping
centers already knew by Indonesian, but in fact up to the recent day’s traditional
market is still playing his part as the pulse of daily life in most parts of
Indonesia. In a traditional market we can got almost everything, from clothes
up to vegetables.
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| Picking & Bargaining |
While shopping people (especially mothers) use
their attendance in the market as well as an opportunity to meet with neighbors
or distant relatives, they can mingle while shopping in order to develop
friendship. For the government the market also becomes a strategic place to
deliver government programs and important announcements.
Traditional retail market is similar with
‘morning business’, in the some areas trading activities already begin at 04.00
am even earlier. However, generally trading activities begin at about 06.00 am.
It means that the traders there must prepare their business earlier before
trading started.
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| An old trader... |
However, especially for traditional retail markets that located in rural areas, usually trading activities ended
at approximately 10:00 am until 11.00 am. After that time, market location will
be quiet, activities move from the market to the kitchen of every inhabitant,
but in the urban area and cities, retail-trading activities always running
almost in day full.
“Pasar
Induk” is a name of wholesale traditional market, in ‘Pasar Induk’ trading activities always running on a 24 hour none
stopped. Before the dawn, around 2:00 am, wholesaler traders especially who
trade vegetables and other wet food starting to open their store serving their
costumers (retailers buyers), this activities usually continues until noon.
Then in the afternoon, distributors starting to come to enter the market,
flowing from the centers of adjacent agricultural production supplying
wholesalers, at that time then the wholesaler’s transactions began between the distributors
with wholesale buyers. In addition, these activities keep continuing until
close to midnight.
In rural areas there is also can be found a
village markets that not doing activities every day but only do it on certain
days; we call the particular day as 'hari
pasaran’ (market day). In areas that
are still isolated, ‘hari pasaran’ is
also mean as celebration day, the day when business held and all people include
in a rush hours. More than only about buy and sale, this day is also an
opportunity to meet and greet with friends and relatives.
Art of bargain and mothers territory.
If you come into our traditional retail market
in Indonesia, you will find women domination! Yes, retail market there is about
women business, the buyers and the traders especially in Java Island majority
of them are women. Women there occupancy
about 90% of the activities, and please note that majority of the women are
also the homemakers…. Therefore, all boisterous come from an Indonesia
traditional retail markets is nothing but the sound of women’s party. Because when they come to the market then it
means that they come to their own territory, a territory where women is the
main players.
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| See ... The Mom's Territory! |
The art of bargaining is an important skill needed
to win in a ‘shopping game’ at Indonesia traditional markets. All
merchandise prices are open for bargaining, it is very rare to find the traders give real
prices to the buyer at the first time
when the merchant offered. There is
always an ‘opening price’ for the first. Then the buyer must try to bargain as low as they think
reasonable. Please open the price at about 25% lower. Usually normal price is
about 15% up to 25% lower than the first price offered. But if you shop at ‘Pasar
Senen’, a large traditional market in Central Jakarta, especially for textile
products and variety of accessories you should not hesitate to offer 50% lower
than the opening price given by the trader.
So please come to ‘pasar’ to see a territory
where the main player is women’s and the art of bargaining respected.
