A shop owner, Iskandar Jaya, admitted that daily sales have increased in line with the implementation of complete face-to-face learning in the capital.
"Alhamdulillah (Thank God), students can now enter schools. So, they (the parents) are shopping for uniforms again," Jaya remarked here on Tuesday.
ANTARA found Jaya's shop crowded with parents and children buying new uniforms.
Jaya informed that he sells up to three hundred pieces of school uniforms every day. However, the number is still far less compared to the situation before the COVID-19 pandemic, he added.
"It's not like it used to be; they used to buy five uniforms for one child, (but), now (they buy) at least one piece; tomorrow, if there is more money, they will buy again," he explained.
The COVID-19 pandemic had put a halt to conventional or onsite learning some time ago, affecting shops selling school equipment.
"During (the peak of) COVID-19, my business automatically died and the income was zero, because (students) studied online and did not wear uniforms," he said.
He also revealed that the prices for some school supplies have increased, such as for a pack of books.
"Many books were sold, (but) there was an increase in price. It used to be Rp34 thousand to Rp50 thousand per one pack of ten books," he informed.
Jaya's store is accepting payments via the Jakarta Smart Card (KJP) owned by students.
The KJP was issued by the Jakarta provincial government in 2012 and is intended for underprivileged students in Jakarta.
Most schools have started face-to-face learning (PTM) from Monday (July 11, 2022) for the academic year 2022–2023.
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Translator: Chairul R, Kenzu T
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2022
