Indonesians turn to online weekly market
Rani Nurwitawati never thought she would lose her job at an Indonesian market research company where she worked for 17 years.
The reality hit months after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The impact is quite big for me,” the 41-yearold said. “My brother lost his job, my sister got a 25% pay cut. And finally, I also lost my job.”
Armed with the knowledge from her former employer that the food and beverage business will survive during the economic downturn, Nurwitawati decided to start selling food from her own kitchen.
She found an ally in Omah Wulangreh, an art and cultural community in South Jakarta that began an online version of the Pahingan Sunday market in August, only days after Nurwitawati lost her job.
The community used to host the Sunday market at its location, but it only accommodated limited tenants. As the pandemic tore through Indonesia, leaving many without income, the artists moved the market online, providing space for sellers to register online while buyers are required to preorder.
Sellers must follow some rules, including offering local artisan products and use minimum plastic packaging.
Aside from providing income for her daily living, Nurwitawati said that the Sunday market is giving her more experience in operating a new business.
“I have learned about networking, got new knowledge, and more people know my products,” she said. “When I joined for the first time, I was really sad because there was only one buyer, after that it increased to more than 10. It was not bad, from less than one 100,000 rupiah ($7) to hundreds of thousands rupiah.”
“I have learned about networking, got new knowledge, and more people know my products.”
— Rani Nurwitawati