Now that I have lived in the Philippines for a grand total of nine months I thought I would tackle the prickly problem of shopping in the Philippines, getting the stuff you want, preferably at a decent price. Now, I am a guy so my notion of shopping is not the same as Janet’s. By all means let’s ask her to write her own take on shopping here in the Philippines. I mean I have no idea where to buy the best shoes here but since this is the Philippines, I am sure there are many places.

Typically guys are interested in food, tools and guy stuff so that’s what I’ll focus on.

Tip #1: “Get it while you can!” If you see an item in a store that you want or that you know you’re going to need or even vaguely might need within the next decade – buy it – now. There’s no guarantee it’ll be there in a month. In fact if it’s an unusual item I can practically guarantee it won’t be there in a month. I have learned this lesson the hard way – over and over. I was in my local hardware store and saw  bar clamps. Now every woodworker knows you can’t have enough clamps, so I made a mental note. Well you guessed it; a month later when I went to buy a couple bar clamps they were gone. I’ve had the same experience multiple times. There’s no sense asking store personnel when they will get more. They will just say, “We’re out of stock, Sir.” “When will you have more?” Get real; they have no idea. Their job is to sell what’s in the store not what’s not in the store.

So listen to Grace Slick and – “Get it while you can.”

Tip #2: Pay it! As a corollary to Tip #1 – just pay the money. In the US when I saw something I wanted, I would go home, check online to see if I could get a better price somewhere, call a couple stores to make sure it was in stock, etc. Don’t do that here in the Philippines because if you do by the time you get it together to go back to the store, the item in question will be – repeat after me – “out of stock!”

Tip #3: Don’t get too excited when you find something you like in stock. The first week we were in Dumaguete we went to Robinsons Supermarket for our first major grocery run. I took the opportunity to go up and down every aisle, trying to get the lay of the land. I spied something in the refrigerated area and called to Janet. “They have Philly cream cheese here!” I was shocked and delighted. I have been a Philly fan since I was a kid and it was the only cream cheese I put on my bagels for 60 years. Now, I had no idea if I could get any kind of bagel in Dumaguete, but I bought a container of Philly and went home with a smile on my face.

Eventually I did find a bakery with at least passable bagels and made consistent runs there. Within a couple months I ran out of my Philly cream cheese. “No worries,” I told Janet. “I’ll get more the next time we go to Robinsons.” Ah, when will I learn? No Philly to be found in Robinsons, “out of stock” and who knows when it will return.

The moral? Buy an extra tub of cream cheese!

Tip #4: Patronize your favorite places and buy out the store. Speaking of the bagel place I found, it’s a nice bakery and once or twice a month I run down there. At first I bought a bagel or two cause that was my routine back in the US. I’m slow but learning. Yesterday I stopped in and asked “How many plain bagels do you have?” I’m just a simple kano, so plain is my favorite. “Five, Sir.” “I’ll take them all!” I announced. Janet was out of town yesterday and when she called to check on me she asked, “What did you have for lunch.” I was too embarrassed to tell her I’d feasted on bagels and non-Philly cream cheese all day, so I just said, “I made a sandwich.”

Tip #5: Ask around. Now while it’s true that often store clerks don’t have a clue sometimes if you ask, “Do you know where I can get X?” they will in fact tell you exactly where you can get it. The same with your neighbors or relatives. My neighbors seem genuinely happy to help the poor hapless kano, who clearly doesn’t know his ass from Tuesday. Also ask your other expat friends. They might know where to get stuff. This works best if you’re asking about beer.
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Tip #6: Go online. While they are not Amazon, I have had good success so far with both Lazada and Aliexpress. Now, they are unlikely to have Western brands, unless the brand is distributed in Asia. Prices can be all over the map, especially if a Lazada item is International; that may mean it is actually being shipped from the US, and you’re going to pay big time. But since so much is Chinese-made now anyway, you can find lots on these two sites.

Tip #7: Ship it from the US. If the item is light weight and not too expensive it might be worth it to have it shipped to you. As a guitar player I like several high end brands of strings. Not only can I not get those strings in a store in the Philippines, I could not get them in a music store in Portland. I found that my two favorite string etailers were happy to ship to me in the Philippines and the basic USPS shipping charge wasn’t much more than shipping in the US. The only down side is that it took about a month to get to me. Also PhilPost charges 112 pesos (a hair over $2) for customs charges for international orders. What’s weird about this charge is whether the item is a $5 item or a $500 item, they still charge the same 112 pesos.

Tip#8: Send yourself a balikbayan box. I know lots of expats who buy items, have them sent to a relative or friend and fill up a balikbayan box. The shipping of a BB box is a flat rate and cheap. I have a Filipino woodworking online friend here. When I saw pics of his workbench I gasped because I recognized that he was using a very high end, expensive, drool worthy bench vise. I got excited “Are they distributed in Asia?” “No – I got it from the US.” I’m thinking, ‘The shipping must have cost a fortune.’ But he added, “My brother sent it to me.” Ahhh!

So consider the BB box strategy.

Tip #9: Broaden your pallet. If you are the type that needs all your Western food items, your grocery budget might get expensive. Many of those items can be found here but you’re gonna spend anywhere from a little bit more to a  lot more. Fortunately for me, there are very few things (other than Philly cream cheese) that I am picky about. I don’t care if it’s Heinz ketchup as long as it’s red. I don’t need Grey Poupon (and yes, you can get it here). There are several stores that cater to expats and sell foreigner food at foreigner prices. I am happy those places exist but rarely go. So find substitutes. Do you really need that Australian steak? Learn to love pork and chicken!

OTOH, about a month ago I was in Hypermart (the other major grocery store here in Dumaguete) and was shocked to see a gallon jug of Martinellis apple cider. It’s been my fave for 40+ years. Even back in the US it was expensive and I only got it as an occasional treat. Treetop was good enough for my thirsty kids.

Anyway, I looked at the price on the jug – 400 pesos, which is almost $8. My darling wife said, “It’s your favorite. Treat yourself!” And so, remembering Tip #1,  I did.