Many have tried, all have failed. Businesses that revolve around expats as their primary customer almost always fail.
I am thankful that the WhyNot deli is not one of those. Somehow there seem to be loads of returned OFWs who are as fussy as the expats so the place is always busy.
Interesting you mentioned tools. I was watching my father-in-law making bamboo furniture, and I was thinking about how certain tools might be useful, not just in his furniture making, but also in building and repairing other things. I didn't notice when I was in the stores, but how hard are tools to come by there? Woodworking and mechanic's tools easy to find?
While they do get a lot of expat customers I would still bet that the majority of their money comes from Filipinos.
You will find the basics here, anything from Drill Bits to Spanners to Mig Welders etc... But finding good quality if that is your thing is not really here, some good, but mostly cheap stuff that is cheap enough to buy, take back under warranty if it fails within the time frame or simply throw away and buy another. Some of the electrical tools I bought here have stood up to a real hammering where as the name brand stuff I bought here from Oz all packed it in on me burning out, go figure?
. Worcestershire IS AVAILABLE at Lee Hypermart (I think, could be robinson's but definitely in dumaguete, we got a bottle in the fridge). There is a nice shelf just across from the meat counter at the left end of the fresh meats. Also red and white wine vinegars. Cholula is avail at Rustans in Cebu (also tapatia), wish we had a rustans here. d*mn, just remembered we forgot Malt Vinegar, anybody seen it here anywhere ?????? Had a conversation a few months ago with a woman whose husband makes runs to cebu about once a month, wish i still had her number, anybody know ?? We have a Task Rabbit in SF that will pick up stuff and take to LBC and ship, pricey but sometimes necessary. (you need a task rabbit account).. Most american online companies ship to the Philippines now, got to look for "international shipping" in the small print.
I've kept an eye out at Hypermart (LP) and have not seen any yet, will check out Lee Plaza next time we are there... Thanks
My biggest problem was mostly hand tools; hammers, screwdrivers, chisels, tape measures etc...you can get Stanley there but I don't rate them as "quality" tools. I did have decent luck with a water pump and concrete vibrator that we picked up...the plate compactor looked solid but had to have a few repairs that I would not have expected. Power tools are something that is a pain...you can find Dewalt and Makita but the cost is really up there compared to "back home". I ordered all my cordless Dewalt drills and such from the US but you need a step down transformer for the battery charger. I did pick up a few Dewalt and Makita tools locally and the quality of the Dewalt miter saw is awesome as well as the Makita planer and no complaints with some others. I believe Australia is 50Hz so any electrical tools will have a shortened life in the Philippines, especially if you are in an area with voltage issues as well. I plan to ship some tools from Korea to the Philippines as the voltage and frequency is the same; and they have some local brands that are quite inexpensive and the quality is good. Shawn
Well that would explain a lot, maybe why my two Desktop PC's and two flat screen Monitors went up in smoke also...
