The Philippines as premier shopping destination
We might just become the Paris of Asia…
Well, maybe not. BUT, the Department of Tourism certainly wants to draw foreigners in to “shop ’till you drop” in the Philippines.
The Department of Tourism (DOT), together with the country’s leading superstores and bazaars, launched the Mabuhay Shopping Spree Promo recently to attract more foreign visitors during the lean travel months of July to October. The activity is in collaboration with the Ayala Malls, Greenhills Shopping Center, Tiendesitas, SM Department Stores and the Market! Market!.
Filipinos are already the world’s biggest shopping fans, so what better way to promote our local products than positioning the country as “a premier shopping haven and place for excellent buys in the Asia Pacific”.
Foreign guests arriving in Metro Manila may obtain the shopping brochures with privilege cards at the DOT counter at the airport or through partner travel agents. Buyers can avail of the discounts, freebies, souvenirs or other special amenities offered by the establishments upon presentation of the card.
I wonder if these apply to balikbayans and OFWs also?
[Source: WOW Philippines]
Tags: Philippine tourism, shopping, shopping destination
9 Comments
am i considered a foreginer since i carry an american passport and i was born inside the u.s. military base? i am leaving for pinas this thursday 11 jan. i think pinoys by nature really shops a lot and shophaholic. there is only one criticism that i needed to bring about. majority of the salesclerk in big dept stores in pinas are not customer oriented/friendly. there was a time, i was shopping at SM south mall. this saleswoman gave me an attitude problem. she was so unfriendly and rude. so i asked for the floor manager on duty and she came to see me. i told the floor mgr what lousy sales person this woman is and the reply to me was: “Pasensiya na kayo, kasi pagod na sila!” so i told this floor mgr: “hindi ba ang tawag sa kanila eh tindera? if they don’t how to sell, this is not the place for them. kung ayaw niyang mapagod, mag-Japayuki na lang siya, nakahiga kung magtrabaho..may bayad pah!” then i dropped all the stuff i was supposed to buy and left. then one incident is at United Supermarket…i was at the produce section, and one has to bring the produce and fruits that one has purchased and bring it to a sales clerk for weighing and tagging of the price. i was in line, then an American woman came into the line with some mangoes that has to be weighed. the sales clerk took care of this caucasian first, even if i was ahead of her. i started yelling in English to the sales clerk and said to her: “I was ahead of this woman and you took care of her first before me…she is paying you with her credit card…i have cash in my hands. i will not tolerate being treated as a second class citizen in my own country, especially by my own kind!” i almost shove the plastic bag with mangoes to the face of the sales clerk. ano incident is at Rustan’s supermarket. we are in line at the check out counter, there were some imported chocolate from spain near the cashier. so my wife picked one of the boxe of the spanish chocolate and laid it at the belt of the cashier. the cashier then told my wife: “Mahal ho ‘yan!” i saw the cat’s eye from my wife and she blurted out to this cashier: “i don’t care even if it cost a million, i can afford it. what denomination of money do you want. i have here U.S. dollars, Canadian dollars, Hongkogn dollars, French Franc and Japanese Yen not to mention the valueless Phil. peson.” my wife almost shove the paper bills to the face of the cashier.
sorry…. you got me going again!!
my parents live a block away from Shoppesville. They said that they have been seeing tourist buses there since Sept last year. Nakakatawa daw itsura ng ibang foreigners after coming out of the tiangge. Para daw nakaisa. Mura kase. hehe
melsantos: you were right about that Rustan’s incident. You should have been served first. Although, I would have to say that you were wrong about the SM incident. Even sales ladies (tindera, you say) do get tired. And that comment on turning Japayuki is so foul. No sales lady deserve that kind of comment. As for the spanish chocolate remark, maybe she was saying it in awe kasi nga, for her, mahal yon.
when I last went home, I had an encounter that made me think “if I had spoken in american accented english, would they treat me differently?”… and i realized i have now this feeling of entitlement – ‘i am entitled to/it is my right’, to be treated fairly or at least similar to my caucasian counterparts, especially in our own country.
MelSantos – I hope you have a happier experience this time around when you go home.
I would be more tolerant of the ways in the Pilipino shopping malls. Do not blame the “tinderas” for poor customer service, blame the people who hire them for insufficent training on the sales floor. Also that Japayuki comment was uncalled for. I found the Rustans incident that was mentioned by Mr. Santos quite disturbing. The “mahal ho yan”(spanish chocolate) retort was too personal! I guess the cheap price of goods in Manila has it’s consequences in some weird ways….Nothing personal, just an opinion.
Grace;
i stand for what i said, in my comment on this blog, no matter what other people sez, this is a free country and the blog is open to the public. i was the one who was done the disservice at SM. i have spent lots of money in that store i don’t disserved to be treated badly. Japayuki comment that i gave, still stands. in the peak of my anger, i will say what i want no matter what the consequences are and no matter what other people say or give comments in this blog. it is easy for the commentators to give their own personal comments (like they are the bearer of MORALS and ETHICS in this world), because they were not there and they were not the ones who were treated badly. i work for customer service for a chicago major airline and i know what a good service is. i will not be insulted and be treated differently in my own country by my own people. i don’t owe the store anything, they owe me, nor do i owe anybody apology irregardless if my comment is uncalled for. again, if any reader of this blog does not like this comment of mine….TOUGH LUCK!
MelSantos, thanks for being honest I really appreciate that. We are in no way judging you for what you said or happened to you. You’re right, we weren’t there and given the same circumstance I wouldn’t know how I’d react either. We don’t also expect an apology from you. In the same way, the other readers were just giving their own opinion too.
and if ever I do, I know just where to rant and be respected. Do let us know what’s up there ok.
I think we all have our own “bad” experiences with poor customer services, in the Philippines or elsewhere. That’s why we’re talking it over in this blog, so we have a place to discuss how these affect us, and hopefully what can be done about it.
Again, hopefully you’ll have a better time this time around when you go home. Hey, I’m going home too (in March!) so I hope I won’t have to write back with a bad take.
My pastor recently commented that there is now actually a “customer relations” person in some department stores (at least in Cebu) where all they do is stand by the exit and say “thank you for coming” ala-Walmart, complete with a sash that bears “Salamat po!” LOL now this I think IS too funny…
Its so weird coz ive never give any time to write n this kind of stuff you know,but as i read the letter of that lady i mean the one who complains,ii think i cant blame her for what she felt if ever she felt that she was not treated right,but i think by saying japayuki and the other one who also says i dont care whatever domination is,,,its just sad to think that people are very easy to say some thing that they know its hurtful to other people,i dont wanna say this but sana wag naman tayong masyadong mayabang,tao lang tayo nagkakamali at syempre igalang rin natin sila kasi kahit ano pang pusisyon mo dito sa mundo kahiit ano ka pa.pare pareho lang tayo,,sana wag kang makatatgpo na magpapahiya sayo ng ganun…but i understand your feeling maybe i think u should be more careful of your words also,its being hot tempered and its nice if we know to accept our mistakes,..sayiing sory is hindi kabawasan ng pagkatao…