Premhouse.com JAKARTA | Shopping in Jakarta takes many forms from the most traditional pasar
(markets) to glitzy world class malls with a wide range of
international designer shops. Most expatriates shop most comfortably in
malls and department stores where the prices are fixed and there is no
need to bargain. However, that is no reason to avoid the more colorful
traditional markets for a true cultural experience.
Malls and Shopping Centers
Malls and Shopping Centers
International shopping at its best can be found in several high-end
malls in Jakarta. You’ll find both local designer boutiques and many of
the most popular and famous brands from around the globe. Indeed,
shopping in Jakarta is truly an international experience! Several malls
focus on designer clothing, leather goods, or household furnishings,
including: Plaza Senayan, Plaza Indonesia, Pondok Indah II, and Senayan
City. The boutique designer shops offer opportunity to the average
expatriate to view, try on, and purchase famous international brands and
haute couture. If, indeed you are from a small town in your home
country, you may find better shopping in Jakarta than you do back home!
The nicer malls also have an excellent selection of cafes, coffee
shops, and restaurants offering a wide variety of international cuisine
to provide refreshments to shoppers. Italian coffee, Japanese snacks, or
Canadian ice cream treats and more abound! Indeed the shopping centers
and malls are a magnet for recreation as they provide everything you
need for family fun in one place and in air conditioned comfort. The
mall facilities don’t just stop at shopping, but also include movie
theatres, bowling, ice skating, and more!
Malls in Jakarta include the huge Taman Anggrek, which even
has an indoor skating rink. Plaza Semanggi has been built around the
Balai Sabini concert hall which now hosts many concerts and live TV
shows.
Read this article for more information on Shopping Centers and Malls in Jakarta
Art and Handicrafts
Tourists and expatriates alike will enjoy visiting department stores like, Pasaraya Grande, Batik Keris and Alun Alun, which is located in Grand Indonesia, which all offer a large selection of Indonesian handicrafts. These stores dedicate entire floors or sections of the store to traditional handicrafts, clothing and textiles and are therefore constant favorites.
Read more about Indonesian Arts and Crafts
What is a Nota
In some department stores you will see a sign near items that says “pakai nota”. This means that you must get a small written bill from the salesperson on the floor and take it to a centralized cashier for payment, because each individual counter is owned by a separate business entity and they are operating on a commission-based system. You don’t take the item to the cashier, just the slip of paper, then return to the original section of the store and file your salesperson to complete your purchase by picking up the item. Other stores are all under one ownership, so you do not collect several receipts and pay at the cashier.
Concentration of Specialty Shop
The small shops that line the streets of the city are often grouped together according to the merchandise sold. For instance Kemang Timur area is known for furniture, Blok A in Kebayoran Baru area is well known for household items – plumbing supplies, paint, and certain streets around town are known for their concentrations of nursery stalls as well.
Traditional Market - Pasar
The majority of Jakarta’s frugal population shops for everyday food and personal needs at the traditional markets, the pasar. Crowded with small carts and lined with small stores, the pasar is a hive of activity. In the pasar and wholesale markets, bargain with courtesy but don’t give up too easily. If you are shopping in the pasar, it is best to have a good idea of the actual value of items. Some stall owners will take advantage of a foreigners lack of knowledge of the “real price’ of items and inflate their prices, as a common belief is that “all foreigners are rich and have lots of money”. In most places you can easily get a 10% -20% discount. With luck and a little stubbornness you can get even more off. In small stores, especially if you speak to the owner, you can get larger discounts.
If you are puzzled by the wonderful variety of Indonesian produce that can be found in traditional markets you can find detailed descriptions in the book “A Jakarta Market” published by and available from the American Women’s Association. This illustrated guidebook can also prove useful when you are wondering what kind of fruit or food it is that you have noticed while shopping at your neighborhood supermarket.
A market that is easily accessible for most expatriates living in South Jakarta is Pasar Mayestik, in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta. The name Mayestik comes from the former ‘Majestic’ cinema that was located here. The second floor of the market building houses the general market and there are also many tailors plying their trade and stalls selling textiles and sewing supplies, as well as stationery supplies and household goods. Many larger shops selling fabrics, electrical appliances and household goods surround the market.
A good range of textiles is also available at Pasar Baru, Central Jakarta, and in particular furnishing fabrics and curtains, as well as carpets, sporting goods and musical instruments. Pasar Baru is the centre for Jakarta’s Indian community and a wide variety of Indian foods and spices are sold here.
Mangga Dua in North Jakarta is one of the biggest centers for wholesalers that distribute to many other parts of Indonesia. Although some of the stores will only sell in bulk volumes, many of the stores will sell single items. Almost anything that you could imagine is on sale at Mangga Dua. Many women patronize the kiosks on the ground floor of ITC Mangga Dua that sell imitation branded leather goods. On the upper floors, many stalls sell women’s and men’s clothing and surprisingly enough a few stores have a very good selection of winter items. Some of the manufactures of overseas stores produce their items in Indonesia and this results in “sisa export” or over production of some items. These items are usually very cheap in comparison to what they would sell for overseas.
On the top floor of Mangga Dua you will find the wholesalers of clothing accessories. Here is perhaps on of the most complete selections of ribbons buttons, beads, and knick knacks that you will find in the city. Many expats make a special trip here to buy Christmas decorations, children’s party favors, and an assortment of other items in bulk, really almost anything you can think of! If you are willing to endure the congested, hot and busy atmosphere of Mangga Dua, you are in for a fulfilling shopping experience.
The textile market of Tanah Abang is a much rougher wholesale market. It is the largest wholesale textile /clothing market in Southeast Asia. Its claim to fame is for pickpockets and it’s not a place for the claustrophobic!
At Pasar Barito, located along Jl. Melawai, Jl. Mahakam II and Jl. Barito, Kebayoran Baru you can buy flower arrangements, aquariums and tropical fish, fruit and fruit baskets, and further along Jl. Barito is the bird market where you can see birds for sale, bird cages and bird seed and even small animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs and monkeys. Quite often endangered species are offered for sale illegally and you are strongly advised not to purchase any of these animals.
In Jalan Surabaya the prices of items at the row of stalls selling antiques (some genuine, some fake!) are very high, so a final price should be no more than 30% to 50% of that first price. So bargain and bargain!
Read more about Traditional Markets in Indonesia
Gemstone Market
Another favorite of expatriates is the Gemstone Market in Rawabening, Jatinegara where precious and semi-precious stones are available for sale. This is a traditional market environment, so bargaining is expected, and the quality and origin of the stones cannot be guaranteed. It’s a great cultural experience, if you’re up to braving the traffic.
Source: Shopping in Jakarta
Tourists and expatriates alike will enjoy visiting department stores like, Pasaraya Grande, Batik Keris and Alun Alun, which is located in Grand Indonesia, which all offer a large selection of Indonesian handicrafts. These stores dedicate entire floors or sections of the store to traditional handicrafts, clothing and textiles and are therefore constant favorites.
Read more about Indonesian Arts and Crafts
What is a Nota
In some department stores you will see a sign near items that says “pakai nota”. This means that you must get a small written bill from the salesperson on the floor and take it to a centralized cashier for payment, because each individual counter is owned by a separate business entity and they are operating on a commission-based system. You don’t take the item to the cashier, just the slip of paper, then return to the original section of the store and file your salesperson to complete your purchase by picking up the item. Other stores are all under one ownership, so you do not collect several receipts and pay at the cashier.
Concentration of Specialty Shop
The small shops that line the streets of the city are often grouped together according to the merchandise sold. For instance Kemang Timur area is known for furniture, Blok A in Kebayoran Baru area is well known for household items – plumbing supplies, paint, and certain streets around town are known for their concentrations of nursery stalls as well.
Traditional Market - Pasar
The majority of Jakarta’s frugal population shops for everyday food and personal needs at the traditional markets, the pasar. Crowded with small carts and lined with small stores, the pasar is a hive of activity. In the pasar and wholesale markets, bargain with courtesy but don’t give up too easily. If you are shopping in the pasar, it is best to have a good idea of the actual value of items. Some stall owners will take advantage of a foreigners lack of knowledge of the “real price’ of items and inflate their prices, as a common belief is that “all foreigners are rich and have lots of money”. In most places you can easily get a 10% -20% discount. With luck and a little stubbornness you can get even more off. In small stores, especially if you speak to the owner, you can get larger discounts.
If you are puzzled by the wonderful variety of Indonesian produce that can be found in traditional markets you can find detailed descriptions in the book “A Jakarta Market” published by and available from the American Women’s Association. This illustrated guidebook can also prove useful when you are wondering what kind of fruit or food it is that you have noticed while shopping at your neighborhood supermarket.
A market that is easily accessible for most expatriates living in South Jakarta is Pasar Mayestik, in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta. The name Mayestik comes from the former ‘Majestic’ cinema that was located here. The second floor of the market building houses the general market and there are also many tailors plying their trade and stalls selling textiles and sewing supplies, as well as stationery supplies and household goods. Many larger shops selling fabrics, electrical appliances and household goods surround the market.
A good range of textiles is also available at Pasar Baru, Central Jakarta, and in particular furnishing fabrics and curtains, as well as carpets, sporting goods and musical instruments. Pasar Baru is the centre for Jakarta’s Indian community and a wide variety of Indian foods and spices are sold here.
Mangga Dua in North Jakarta is one of the biggest centers for wholesalers that distribute to many other parts of Indonesia. Although some of the stores will only sell in bulk volumes, many of the stores will sell single items. Almost anything that you could imagine is on sale at Mangga Dua. Many women patronize the kiosks on the ground floor of ITC Mangga Dua that sell imitation branded leather goods. On the upper floors, many stalls sell women’s and men’s clothing and surprisingly enough a few stores have a very good selection of winter items. Some of the manufactures of overseas stores produce their items in Indonesia and this results in “sisa export” or over production of some items. These items are usually very cheap in comparison to what they would sell for overseas.
On the top floor of Mangga Dua you will find the wholesalers of clothing accessories. Here is perhaps on of the most complete selections of ribbons buttons, beads, and knick knacks that you will find in the city. Many expats make a special trip here to buy Christmas decorations, children’s party favors, and an assortment of other items in bulk, really almost anything you can think of! If you are willing to endure the congested, hot and busy atmosphere of Mangga Dua, you are in for a fulfilling shopping experience.
The textile market of Tanah Abang is a much rougher wholesale market. It is the largest wholesale textile /clothing market in Southeast Asia. Its claim to fame is for pickpockets and it’s not a place for the claustrophobic!
At Pasar Barito, located along Jl. Melawai, Jl. Mahakam II and Jl. Barito, Kebayoran Baru you can buy flower arrangements, aquariums and tropical fish, fruit and fruit baskets, and further along Jl. Barito is the bird market where you can see birds for sale, bird cages and bird seed and even small animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs and monkeys. Quite often endangered species are offered for sale illegally and you are strongly advised not to purchase any of these animals.
In Jalan Surabaya the prices of items at the row of stalls selling antiques (some genuine, some fake!) are very high, so a final price should be no more than 30% to 50% of that first price. So bargain and bargain!
Read more about Traditional Markets in Indonesia
Gemstone Market
Another favorite of expatriates is the Gemstone Market in Rawabening, Jatinegara where precious and semi-precious stones are available for sale. This is a traditional market environment, so bargaining is expected, and the quality and origin of the stones cannot be guaranteed. It’s a great cultural experience, if you’re up to braving the traffic.
Source: Shopping in Jakarta
Photo courtesy of anekatempatwisata.com
