Retailers Say There is Enough Supply until Eid

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Purchase transactions at modern retail outlets surged during the Covid-19 outbreak. Business actors ensured there is enough supply until the Eid period is over.

Transmart Carrefour's spokesman Satria Hamid, said the average purchase transaction increased by 50 percent per consumer since February, especially on weekends. He said the increase was influenced by the government's call to start limiting activities outside the home.

"They tend to stock up for longer periods of time—not daily as before," he told Tempo on April 8.

According to Satria, many consumers buy groceries during the last two months. The demand for cooking oil, rice, frozen foods, instant noodles, and eggs are soaring.

Despite the surge in transactions, Satria guarantees that the supply of staple goods will be maintained until Eid, as long as people shop wisely and not hoard.

"On average, our stock will last for the next 90 days or until June," he said.

Meanwhile, Alfamart's corporate affairs director Solihin said it they have secured staple goods supplies until Eid. "We request manufacturers not ship everything at once, so that our warehouse can store staple goods," he said. 

Lotte Mart Indonesia CEO Joseph Buntaran said that overall sales remained stable until March. However, the company cannot make out the exact spending patterns after the physical-distancing policy was enacted. "The pattern is completely random and unpredictable; it could be good today and the next day it drops dramatically."

During the Covid-19 pandemic, he noted a sharp increase in sales of health-related goods such as masks, hand sanitizers, alcohol, and disinfectants. "So far there have been no supply problems for other goods except those," he said.

VINDRY FLORENTIN