Best Posts in Thread: new city mall

Perhaps at times we miss seeing what Filipinos teach us. Not all Filipinos are good - not all Westerners are good - not all humans are good ...... BUT, I never fail to admire the poor Filipinos who tread the streets selling a few peanuts to feed themselves and their families .... I never fail to admire the families who send not only their children to school, but also cousins, nieces, nephews etc ...... I never fail to admire the family cohesion, the care of their elderly, the way they lookout for other family members. Also, I feel good inside when a stranger says "hi" (or a variant) to me or a group of children outside a school show interest in things I know. I also feel good that people call me "Sir" and often show great respect, but it is not deserved - in The Philippines, their country, they are the ones who deserve respect from me. Developed countries have multiple problems that may well bring them down but in The Philippines there is a sense of the 'good old days' (not in every respect of course) and a basically happy population, struggling along in a simple lifestyle, enjoying their families, enjoying their traditions. Being here is like a weight taken off from the pressures of Western society.

 

What, so they can be like the US (that disaster), or ?? Sorry SB, i've told myself to STFU, but i gotta chime in.. It is their culture, their country, their smiles and laughter, their families, their pace of life. Sure there are things i'd like them to do differently (a bit more ATD), but if they choose not to change, i'll live with it, and since we've acquired a place, i guess we're here for the duration. The only thing we try to teach them, is lift with your legs, not your back. And i've figured out that the reason food doesn't arrive at the same time is that the whole family digs into each dish as it appears. The idea of main courses arriving simultaneously is a foreign concept, so "i deal wid it."

 

If the Savemore supermarket at Citymall (not open yet, ETA October) is similar to the one in Carcar Cebu (good selection of foodstuff, pretty much "organized") then it will provide a welcome competition. Obviously it remains to be seen if people are willing to drag their groceries up the stairs to their car.
Other than that, the foodcourt is "more of the same" as expected, and the few remaining shops will do little to keep the interest going imho except maybe for the hardwareshop and the appliances store.

As for my take on the other supermarkets:

• Robinson downtown: pretty much ok despite the two-level thing, a little more expensive than Lee and Cang
• Robinson at the mall: too big, which management compensates by putting the same stuff in multiple places,
• Lee Plaza downtown: too disorganized for my taste, maybe slightly more "imported goods" than Robinson.
• Hypermart (also Lee): "it works" but dislike the warehouse atmosphere. Decent coffee at the foodcourt.
• Cang : limited selections, sometimes has long waiting lines, like at Lee's also

 

This is going off topic but I think you're comparing apples to oranges here.
Metro Cebu Area has roughly 30 times as many people (2.8Mio as of 2015), I won't even calculate how much bigger Metro Manila is - compared to that Dumaguete definitely is a small city.

And while there are many foreigners here, I think a large percentage isn't willing to (or simply can't) pay what food in a world class or highest standard restaurant costs. Tourists often eat at their resorts anyway, which as far as I can tell also serve decent food and are just a short drive away - definitely shorter than going from say Lapu Lapu to Cebu City or from Manila to Makati. And there you're sitting on the beach instead inside a mall...

 

Context is everything. You're standing there with the Reese's right in front of you and it will cost less than an extra dime (US currency) to buy them. Or, get in your car or hop tricycle to Robinson and pay more than that in "car fare" to save that dime. Not to mention the wear and tear on your nerves by the trip from City Mall to Robinson.

Foreigners seem to be willing to pay for convenience and comfort when it is reasonably affordable. Going to and shopping at the public market is a nightmare on many levels, but it is cheaper. Me? I prefer to pay for the wide aisles and good lighting. I know I am blest in that I can afford that "luxury" which, as a westerner, has become commonplace and habit for me.

I would have paid the 44 pesos and not given the price difference at Robinson's another thought.

 

For me Hypermart wins hands down, but don't tell everyone that as I love the relaxed shopping environment, wide uncluttered aisles, excellent food court and convenient pharmacy, I would really hate for it to turn into a busy hive like its counterparts in the city!

 

Had a recent similar experience from another local Computer Store. I bought an 8GB Flash-drive that clearly states "Lifetime Warranty". Got it home and it was faulty, so I sent them a text advising that I was going to return it the next time I was back in the City. When I turned up, they refused to take it because; "Sorry Sir we only offer a 7 Day Warranty". I SHOWED them my text message dated the day I bought the item, advising them their item was faulty and stood my ground. They eventually replaced it. Now I make them double test everything before I leave their Store! I would advise anyone buying electronics to do the same!

 

What Dumaguete needs are some different food franchises like, Burger King or Starbucks. Foreigners here are deprived of basic decent food. All we get in this town are the same things over and over. The new City Mall is a joke. How do they expect people coming out of the supermarket (which is yet to open) with a trolly full or carrying bags of shopping in each hand having to climb three sets of stairs to go up to the carpark? All they have provided is one tiny elevator which will end up permanently out of order. What's wrong with having an escalator? This is going to cause more congestion at the street level with supermarket shoppers double parking themselves because it's more convenient than parking on the roof. The stupidity of the design defies belief.