shopping, manila style

Manila can be a fun place to be.  For a few days.  Then it gets overwhelming.  The metro area is FULL of malls.  High end malls, low end malls and everything in between.  This week we spent time going from one mall to the next trying to get everything we needed before heading out to the providence where selection of most of the goods we would want is either limited or very expensive.  

There are lots of little nuances that you need to know when you are shopping in the Philippines.  For instance, the first time in the country I learned that just because you are standing at the counter in a store does not necessarily mean that the person behind the counter will assume that you need help.  Even if you stand there for a good 5 minutes. Sometimes you have to signal.  This can be contrasted with the fact that most times sales people will follow you all the way through the store while you look just for the sake of looking and will pull products off the shelf to demonstrate to you how wonderful they are and why you should buy them.  Also it is customary for an employee to stand and watch you while you decide which kind of shampoo to buy or what kind of hot wheels car your son might pick out as his favorite.  

This time around, I'm learning to just ignore the curiosity instead of get mad at the attention.  

Something else you would find different here is that all electronics are tested out in the store by an employee  to show you that the product you are buying indeed works.  Here is our coworker trying out a cord for his iphone.  You can see the station in the middle of the counter labeled 'self test'.  We went to buy a hair dryer this week and the sales girl dragged an extension cord into the middle of the aisle and turned on the hair dryer to test it out for us.  It was noisy, I tell ya!  

Mirielle checking out the pencil case aisle.  Kellan wouldn't participate in the picture.

We went to the drug store to find some medicine for Jason and I was amused by the children's vitamin section.  Hmmm.  Do I want the Tiki Tiki brand or Growee?

And what's up with this girl?  I think maybe she is getting a perm or some highlights while she is riding her bike.  Or maybe she's headed into a construction zone.  Inquiring minds want to know!

 The best of all was our trip to S&R which is the Filipino version of Costco and is pretty close comparison.  While we were there we stocked up on LOTS of cheddar cheese, ziplock bags, crasins, almonds and a few other things you can't find anywhere else.

 Bet your Costco doesn't have garlic shrimp pizza.  Mmm mmm good!

And who knew that there was a bus line named Kellan? Well close, Kellen. Can't wait to hear how they pronounce it here.