new city mall

There doesn't seem to be any rivalry between different supermarkets unlike in the West where different supermarkets are known for their unique variety of products. Either all supermarkets are owned by the same family or they are in collusion with each other because they know that customers have no other choice. The only thing that may change this situation is if everyone writes to the head offices and sends a letter of complaint. Filipinos will never complain, its not in their culture but that's a reason why things are the way they are. It's up to foreigners to teach them something or nothing will ever change.

 

We did teach them. We taught them that locals will shop at the public market and save a few pesos and the foreigners will pay more for Reese's imported peanut butter cups at a big fancy story with wide aisles and high prices. (44 pesos for those peanut butter cups at the new SaveMore compared to 40 pesos at Robinsons. Only a 10% difference but I guarantee some foreigners will pay it. I almost did until I thought about it.)

 

I realize that jam and preserves are different in that preserves contain whole fruit. With that said, Hyper Mart has many jars of Smuckers Strawberry Preserves if that will serve your purpose.

 

Thanks. I thought I had tried them but must have forgotten or assumed so next time I run out I shall try them first.

 

As foreigners constitute a minority here, are these major supermarkets going to change anything? And if they do not, will we stop buying from them and use only local markets?

Also, I question whether it is the role, or even the right, of foreigners to change things; the Philippines belongs to the Filipino people. Certainly we can make suggestions where we see a 'model' existing elsewhere which may better the country if adopted and we can start a business which competes in a different way and see if it is welcomed - but coming here to change things because they do not suit us is not our role in my opinion.

 

I agree and it is a suggestion which could be made to them - but don't expect anything exciting to happen soon. I also think businesses here would benefit from making bigger sales reductions (the "2% off" some products at Ace Hardware in the City Mall today did not grab my attention for more than one second) and accepting the return of defective items (but maybe too many Chinese products go 'bang' too quickly to make that cost-effective). These can be made as suggestions but then it is up to them.

I purchased a shoulder bag downtown in March and the zip went after 6 days, so I returned it. I was told that "It was okay when it left the shop", so I argued the case to the owner about getting my custom back if they replaced it and losing my custom if they did not. I also pointed out the economics of an item priced at about P300 (I know what you are all thinking ... "Of course the bl**dy zip broke, you only paid P300") which perhaps cost P150 wholesale and could be sold for P150 to P200 with the broken zip (as I had previously seen in other stores chipped cups reduced from P100 to P90). The shop owner reminded me "But this is The Philippines" (so Mr Dude, you were not first ) and then gave me credit against the new bag I bought for P360 (and then sold for P500 on FB).

The big stores such as Lee Plaza and Robinson's (and probably others) do offer a very limited form of credit-refund and that encourages me to buy there if the price is competitive (remember, this is the person who buys a P300 shoulder bag!) but it may not take a big step for one of them to offer a bit more and thus seize a bigger share of local trade. It will happen one day.

 

Oh and one more thing we taught them: Promos. I picked up a promo pack of Skyflakes that would have saved me 40 pesos and then got to the till and found out I had to buy an SM advantage card for about 4 times my "savings" to "avail" of the promo. Yep, they learn fast. One tour of Costco or S/R and they learn that foreigners will PAY to shop.

 

Some of you missed my point. I meant to write to them asking them to stock a certain imports or products in their stock ordering department but not to change their business model.