In June 2025, residents seeking subsidised groceries at RPTRA Garuda in Cilangkap, East Jakarta, first had to join a queue for a paper number. A 49-year-old woman told Kompas that roughly 150 people were already there after dawn, so she arrived early. Payment used registered Jakarta education or subsidised-food cards, but the process did not necessarily end in one visit. At some distribution points, day one was for taking a number, day two for payment and day three for collecting a package that included rice and meat.
What distinguishes this queue is not only scarcity but a procedure that divides waiting into three separate obligations. The number lets people leave the physical line, yet requires them to return on successive days. Eligibility for assistance does not immediately become food; recipients must repeatedly contribute their time before the benefit becomes tangible.