Celebrating Idul Fitri in Style

· 5 minutes read

The temptation to go shopping cannot be denied, although the riots that hit Jakarta following the announcement of the 2019 election results have caused fear among the people. Ahead of Idul Fitri, almost all stores in the city are offering a variety of discounts and rewards that are tempting to savvy shoppers.

On Saturday night at Senayan City Mall in Central Jakarta, one corner was crowded by hundreds of young people. They are among the city’s growing number of hypebeasts who follow modern, stylish, simple but expensive fashion trends. Yes, expensive. The price of an ordinary-looking shirt can reach millions of rupiah.

Saturday night was the final day of the USS Yard Sale, a bazaar promoting expensive shoes and sneakers. The event sold famous branded footwear lines like the Adidas Yeezy, Nike Air Jordan and Vans Old Skool. It also sold apparel and accessories from brands like Supreme and A Bathing Ape (Bape) at discounts of up to 70 percent.

A special counter specifically sold pre-loved (secondhand) shoes. Although they were used, the shoes cost millions of rupiah. "The condition of these shoes scores nine out of ten. It means they are still good,” 19-year-old Ipin said in offering his worn sneakers.

Ipin said he was selling his Nike Retro High Air Jordan purely because he had tired of the model. "I sold it because I got bored [of it]. I want to buy other shoes. If I get bored again, then I will sell again," he said. Ipin was selling the sneakers for Rp 5.35 million; a new pair costs Rp 6 million.

Just before Idul Fitri is the right time to sell luxury shoes at high prices, because it is a major shopping season.

The goods being sold at discounted prices were attractive. Dozens of vendors at the USS Yard Sale booked sales turnovers that reached hundreds of millions of rupiah a day. The Puma stall, for example, recorded Rp 150 million in sales on the first day of the bazaar.

Ahead of Idul Fitri, discount promotions abound in Jakarta. In addition to the USS Yard Sale, 82 shopping malls and centers are holding the annual Jakarta Great Sale Festival on May 25-June 23.

The shopping festival is also being held at 34 Jakmart and Mini DC Pasar Jaya retail outlets, thousands of mall outlets and dozens of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This year’s festival has set a sales target of Rp 9.5 trillion.

Online shopping

Online marketplaces are also tempting shoppers with promotional discounts, which can be accessed easily through digital devices. Ahead of Idul Fitri, online stores are offering a variety of reward programs such as discounts, cashback promotions, flash sales and free delivery services.

Ergi, 23, a Jakarta office worker, took advantage of these online discounts, although he often had to wait a few days until the validity date to use a coupon that offered a big discount.

"Tokopedia’s THR coupons are only valid today. Earlier, I bought a mouse and a keyboard. I settled the payment at 12:40 a.m.," he said.

Once the discount coupon became valid, Ergi immediately bought his selected goods and transferred the payment. He had to move quickly to buy one of only five items that remained in stock. The item cost Rp 700,000, but with the cashback coupon, Ergi earned a cash reward of Rp 70,000. It was a good bargain.

Meanwhile, Intan, 27, a South Tangerang resident, spent a lot of money on headscarves and long-sleeved clothes for Idul Fitri. She even divided her shopping budget in two: one for physical shopping and the other for online shopping, although she said she kept strictly within her budget.

Profits

For traders, the promotional discounts do not incur any losses. They are a profit-making marketing strategy. Although the prices may be reduced, traders still earn a good profit because many customers buy the sales items. The discounts are calculated accurately and measurably.

Dyah, 26, who sells cosmetics on Instagram, said that the demand for cosmetics started increasing around two weeks before Idul Fitri. She guessed that demand had surged because civil servants had received their holiday bonuses (THR). Dyah offered a discount of 3 to 15 percent to attract customers during the shopping season.

Auliana, 24, a Yogyakarta designer and fashion trader, said she had been flooded with orders since the start of Ramadan. By Sunday, she had received 300 orders for custom-made clothing. "I hired four more employees this Ramadan," she said.

In addition to clothing, food products are also selling well. Rizky, 23, a pudding trader from Samarinda, is also offering a special Ramadan package: two containers of pudding for Rp 100,000.

Celebration

Media and pop culture observer Idi Subandy Ibrahim said that consumptive behavior tended to emerge during religious holidays, triggered primarily by an increase in public enthusiasm for welcoming the holiday. Consumerism also rose because of the annual THR.

Idi pointed out, however, that the meaning of Idul Fitri should not be diluted by glittering discounts.

Idul Fitri, however, is often connected to shopping. Moreover, the holiday is a time for many people to celebrate their lifestyles, and is used as an occasion to demonstrate a positive self-image. The intention is good, as long as one does not forget oneself. (DIV/SKA

Editor:

kompascetak