Midnight Madness: Late-Night Shopping Hits Jakarta

Midnight sales have becoming an increasingly popular tactic in the war on our wallets in Jakarta, enticing semi-professional shoppers like Merry and her crew, as well as those simply looking for an alternative nightlife option, to hit the city’s shopping centers in search of bargains well past most people’s bedtimes.

During these promotional sales, large discounts are offered after regular shopping hours, usually from 10 p.m. until the clock strikes 12.

Midnight sales are offered by malls throughout the year, usually before holidays like Ramadan and Christmas.

As part of the celebrations for the city’s anniversary this month, a program called Festival Jakarta Great Sale 2011, organized by the Indonesia Shopping Center Management Association (Appbi), is being held until July 17.

Sixty-eight malls are participating in the event, offering discounts of 10 to 70 percent. Many of the participating venues are also running midnight promotions over the weekends.

Dinda, who works as a department store clerk in Central Jakarta, said she has seen the public response to midnight shopping ramp up significantly over time.

She said that the first time she worked during a midnight shopping promo a few years ago, “there were only a few people who came.”

Now, Dinda said, every time there is a midnight shopping promo in the mall where she works, “all the stores are packed and the lines are very long.”

Dinda speculates the reason is that many people simply have more money to spend these days. “I don’t know what’s happening, but I guess people are getting richer all the time.”

Full article by Marcel Thee

Midnight Sales:
Plaza Semanggi Late Night Sale June 24-25 
Plaza Indonesia Late Night Shopping June 24-25 
Emporium Pluit Mall Sale June 24-25 
Mall of Indonesia Midnight Salebration June 24-25