If I Could - Bacong Grocery Store

If I had the money to invest (I don't), I would purchase a good sized plot on the Bacong-Valencia Road just outside of Bacong proper and build a nice, brightly-lit, modern supermarket/hardware (think Robinson's downtown Dumaguete sized....maybe a bit smaller) with some fast-food counters and a good-sized parking lot.

Open 6 am to 10 pm. Fence the parking lot and give 2 hours free parking with a minimum purchase to keep folks from parking there all day with no intention of shopping on the premises, and lock it at night.

The very lightly traveled Bacong-Valencia Road would be an attractive feature for shoppers from Valencia who, I think, would opt for the new Bacong store over the Jose Romero Road free-for-all to Robinson Plaza and Hypermart, and it would also attract locals and tourists in Bacong and Dauin.

 

Another idea would be a "Vanson Marketing" Outlet near to, or inside the Malatapay Markets, allowing the locals (and foreigners who regularly attend or use as a stop point to go to/from Apo Island) availing the Markets location to access to cheap Groceries.

MANY locals buy their wholesale from Vanson's and re-sell the products via their home/road based Sari-Sari Stores, my Wife does this but provides only to her Family here to save them from having to travel far to buy their needs... Home based Sari-Sari is not so profitable IMHO but she was offered to become a Re-Seller of Vanson's merchandise when they saw me waiting in the Tricycle one day when she went back to pick up her items.

As a Wholesale Outlet; I really think it could work and the huge attendance at the Malatapay Markets every Wednesday could be very profitable added with supplying the locals daily with Groceries that they would otherwise need to go to Dumaguete to buy.

 

Vansons is very unique in Dumaguete and maybe the Philippines. It is one of the few merchandisers in Dumaguete where the employee really hustle the product out the door. The "box boys" don't read the labels on every product you buy and then discuss it with the cashier. It is like a small time costco, in that every works diligently, without discussing constantly what there cousin's, neighbor's niece did the night before. Products are very rapidly pushed out the door in large quantities for each item. It is an experience to visit, but do not go if you dislike tight small places as it very crowded particularly on Mondays when the resellors restock their Sari-Sari stores. Prices are generally lower than anywhere else but only by a small amount in IMHO. It is located across the street from the south-west corner of Building #l in the Public Market, just look for a stream of people heading into one small store, that will be it.

 

Especially if you are a tad wide like myself! Claustrophobic would be a good description! I normally waited under one of the Fans hugging the shelving and let my Wife run around collecting while I guarded the baskets! hehe

Now we buy most of what we need to re-sell to the Family here from Hypermart, as prices are only slightly higher and Hypermart is a great place to shop compared to Lee Plaza/ Robinsons in the City due to wider aisles and less people...

We only mark items up one peso per item, and it costs us 500php to catch a Tricycle home, but that means the Bro In-lnaw carries all our boxes from the Highway to inside for us (great with my broken leg!) so whilst we make no profit at all, really it is something we enjoy to do to help the Family and is handy to dip into if our food-stocks begin to run low, saving us another trip back into the City (I am paid monthly so one trip each month to do all we need to do for the month) but if ever we were serious about opening a Road-side Sari-Sari then I would become a re-seller for Vanson's until I could establish a deal with other suppliers.

 

Where is Vanson's please??

 

A Map here;

Vanson Marketing (Grocery / Supermarket) at Colon Street, Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, Philippines

 

Also;