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We all know the uniquely Philippine sari-sari store.
If we live in the city, it’s the place where we pick up the little
items we forgot to buy at the supermarket, or the items that are
heavy to carry such as vinegar, eggs and soft drinks. Or, if we are
on a trip to the province, the sari-sari store is the place where we
stop for a light snack.
Years ago, sari-sari stores were
popular livelihood projects. However, it was later realized that
keeping sari-sari stores were more of a way to spend idle time than
actually generate an income. How could anybody make any significant
profit with a store on every corner of the neighborhood, the stores
competing with one another for the same few customers? The sari-sari
store was further doomed to oblivion with the growing number of
supermarkets and modern convenience stores.
However, the sari-sari store is
still here. Last July 25, about 1,500 sari-sari store owners
gathered at the Cebu International Convention Center in Mandaue
City. These sari-sari store owners are customers of Prince Warehouse
Club, a major retail store chain in Cebu. They buy their stocks of
shampoo, whitening soap and efficascent oil, canned goods, toilet
paper and sanitary napkins, hotdogs and tocino, 3-in-1 coffee and
sikwati, soft drinks, bottled water, and liquor, laundry soap, shoe
shine, and more in Prince Warehouse, their purchases conscientiously
recorded by the supermarket. Once the customer reaches P50,000 worth
of purchases, she gets a rebate. Together these about 7,000
sari-sari store owners, who purchase their supplies at Prince
Warehouse Club, form the Sari-Sari Store Society.
According to Robert Go, President
of Prince Warehouse Club, the sari-sari stores have become even more
relevant in our current times of crisis. Cash-strapped Filipinos
prefer to buy the small packs—the sachets—rather than bigger
packs or bottles. Yes, shampoo and instant coffee are usually
cheaper when you buy a bottle rather than a sachet, but you might
use too much of it. The sachet ensures that the correct quantity is
used and nothing goes to waste.
The government has recognized the
importance to the economy and employment of the informal sector,
including the sari-sari stores. The micro, small and medium
enterprise sector make up 99.6 percent of all registered business
enterprises. The sector accounts for 70 percent of total employment.
As of March, loans to this sector had reached almost P220 billion.
Loans and technical assistance from the government and its private
sector partner, the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship, have
enabled many informal sector establishments, including sari-sari
stores, to grow, diversify and prosper.
Spanish classes
In the case of Robert Go’s
Prince Warehouse Club—with four outlets in Metro Cebu and Danao
City—the importance of the sari-sari stores is obvious. The
sari-sari stores in effect are neighborhood branches of the
supermarkets. Taking care of this group of customers to ensure that
they return and spend more money, makes good business sense. The
one-day Sari-Sari Store Society Festival offered lectures, raffles,
games, entertainment, food, fun and fellowship.
Spanish Ambassador Luis Arias
Romero and his lovely wife Soledad de Arias were in Cebu to
celebrate the annual Dia de Santiago, the Feast of St. James. The
Spanish government is currently expanding its diplomatic
representation in the Philippines, the ambassador told the guests at
a dinner party, and this at a time when other European countries
have closed their embassies or plan to do so. The Spanish and
Philippine governments have signed a number of agreements, the
latest a sports cooperation agreement. According to information
posted on the internet, this program was proposed by Senator Ed
Angara and Senator Jose Manuel Barquero of Spain under the RP-Spain
Agreement on Parliamentary Cooperation. The Program for Sports
Cooperation seeks to promote the spirit of friendship, solidarity
and fair play among athletes in the two countries.
There is a growing interest among
Filipinos to learn Spanish, and not for nostalgic
reasons—Ambassador Luis Arias Romero pointed out the increasing
demand for Spanish language skills in the world, especially in the
USA. The Filipinos who enroll in Spanish classes and the sari-sari
store owners who fill their baskets with groceries at Prince
Warehouse Club could well be driven by the same economic necessity:
the need to acquire additional skills to land a well paying job; and
the need to buy the cheapest supplies to earn a better margin.
opinion@manilatimes.net
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