Self service drinks and very bright flourescent lights. Is that all?
There's a "recently" popular plague of 7eleven convenience stores in Jakarta that's causing new traffic jams and creating a new cultural dilemma. And all it took for it to catch our attention was its blindingly bright lights.
The fact is, 7eleven is no new-comer. It has been in the convenience store industry for quiet a while, with its first Jakarta outlet opened about 15 years ago. Thus calling it new is slightly improper.
So what is with the sudden excitement and frenzy about? If we take a few steps backwards, we'll remember that the convenience store business was not as promising in Jakarta as it looks today. My guess is probably because of our life style, consumption behaviour, culture, and our brand awareness was still purely eastern. With the media and outside communication still minimal, the refrences we have of other ways of life was still a bit monotonous. Indonesian still relied on traditional markets, local grocery stores (monopoly also might have played a major role in limiting the amount of foreign corporates capitalizing) and famous street vendor. Our consumption behavior was still root-strong. For example, primarily we eat rice just like most of Asian people. Thus up to the 1990's, fast food chains didn't grow as excessively as they do today. we had a Burger King opened in Plaza Indonesia once, but since they served burgers and we didn't eat as much red meat and bread back then, the franchise closed around '97. McD, A&W, and KFC however managed to survive because they made adjustments to their menu and served rice.
Convenience is not a new concept in Indonesia's commodity services. We had street vendors since the day I was born. You can practically get anything and everything from a toserba or a warung on your street corner. The prices are slightly higher but economical considering the convenience of not having to wait in long lines and driving a distance more than 500meters. But around 2006, a sudden burst of circle K (C-K) outlets brought on a new form of convenience, one with international standards, products, and a well developed brand identity. A better looking store as well, complete with refrigerator and AC. To spice things for consumers, C-K offered 24 hours of convenience which Jakarta didn't have much at the time. And the plague of circle K stores began.
It's growth has become ridiculous, sometimes, to see C-K outlets opened so close from one another. On one street, you can spot 3-4 C-K's only 400 meters from each other.
And these international brand bumped out the traditional convenience stores. Though the prices are highers, consumers didn't seem to mind paying the extra cost for a little taste of modern pleasure, and perhaps a touch of class and prestige.
So, as I sat in my 4th visit to 7eleven and gulped down my Slurpee, I watched as the automatic doors opened and barely stayed closed for more than 1 minute. Teenagers, college students, working men and women cash out. The fact that the food tastes like any other and that the Slurpee is simply soda blended with crushed ice (it doesn't even compare to the classic Icee) wasn't that big of a reason for people to enjoy shopping in convenience stores.
How much has our culture progressed since then? We now live in a dense society where instant service and t lcd-tube lifestyle is society's new magnetic pole. is it a natural act of change where along with consumption behavior, our mind set and economic status has risen, or a forced unvoluntary attack?
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar