http://thejakartaglobe.com/home/small-change-still-a-big-problem-at-indonesias-stores/339716
November 04, 2009 Irvan Tisnabudi Small Change Still a Big Problem at Indonesia's Stores There is not enough small change at the country's mini-markets, and customers are not happy about it. Representatives from the Alfamart, Indomaret and Super Indo retail chains on Wednesday said there were simply not enough small bills in circulation to give to customers, leading to many complaints because customers are given candy in place of small change or are refused altogether. The retailers met with representatives of Bank Indonesia and the trade and finance ministries on Wednesday in order to find a solution for what could considered a small, but serious, problem. Heri Sumantri, the assistant director of marketing for PT Indomarco Prismatama (Indomaret), said the lack of small denominations was a major challenge for the retail chain, although Indomaret stores had stopped giving out candy in place of change about a year ago. For most low-cost items, he said, rounding the price up or down to the nearest Rp 1,000 (10 cents) was not a viable or fair long-term solution. Rounding up would shortchange customers on small budgets, while rounding down on cheap items, like instant noodles, would eat into the traders' already tiny profit margins, Heri said. Radu Sembiring, director general of consumer protection at the Trade Ministry, told the retailers that it was ultimately the central bank's responsibility to ensure that small coins in the Rp 50, 100, 200 and 500 denominations were readily available nationwide. "Customers are entitled to change from their shopping purchases, no matter how small," he said, citing the 1999 Law on Bank Indonesia. Separately, Ery Setiawan, the central bank's head of currency circulation, told the Jakarta Globe that it already had sufficient amounts of coins in its vaults to be used in retail transactions nationwide. "The main cause of this issue, I think, is the lack of communication between the retailers and their banks," he said. "Unlike toll-road operators, which put out specific orders on how much money they need for daily transactions, retailers do not." Yuli, a 54-year-old housewife, said she would like to see a solution found to the change problem soon because she was getting sick of eating candy or being shortchanged. "I get upset when I am given sweets, but I don't feel right asking for Rp 100 in change as I have three plastic bags full of coins at home, which I haven't done anything with," she said.
