Day 4: Different Toko

Woke up early on a Sunday for work - something that has not happened in quite some time. It was certainly interesting that Simpang Lima's roads were closed off. It would have been interesting if it were not for fasting month, for Pak Min told me that it was "rame" (lively) on Sunday mornings in the area due to the wide selection of food, the off day and the open roads. So he asked if I would like to experience a different store this time around, and I gladly took up the opportunity.

So we took a longer drive down to Manggun Sari MM. Walking in, it was more of the convenience store of my expectations. It was brighter, it was more pleasant on the eyes. Then again space had much to do with it. But I felt like I would be more ready to pick up more stuff here.

Wanting to see if my initial impressions were correct - I pulled up their records. Much to my surprise I realized that their sales were more or less about the same. Was I wrong? What kind of convenience store works in Semarang?

I thought hard about it, and could only come up with the conclusion that there was probably another competitor in a more accessible area. The same way how having two convenience stores in the same place splits customers available in that area. Not knowing the place too well however I did not venture too far out - but I did notice that there was quite a selection of food outlets where one could probably get their fix for food and drink as well.

So Manggun Sari ended up not being a feasible model I could use - but I certainly did have a better impression of their product organization. While they had more or less the same products as MM Durian - it seemed like it was more tailored to the consumer and expansive with the way the shelving and display was done. Then again, what if my expectations would only serve to intimidate the populace into thinking that this was a "more expensive" location and would prefer to head to the food stalls instead.

The staff, while also displaying the same MM hospitality - seemingly did not have such heavy taxation when it came to stock taking. I assumed that it meant that they were more efficient with stock taking - but I did not see the book that MM Durian used. I wondered if it was possible to increase efficiency in the method of stock taking. While tediousness creates a sense of being meticulous... I did believe that it was taking up too much time at MM Durian.

Farid MN