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MANILA: The recent calamities that struck the Philippines have not dampened the Filipinos penchant for shopping, especially this holiday season.
But instead of flocking to the malls, budget conscious Filipinos have now shifted to shopping in flea markets. Tiangges or flea markets sprout like mushrooms especially during the holiday season.
One of the best things about shopping at tiangges is that one can still haggle for a discount even if the price is already low.
Joey Santos, general manager, Greenhills Shopping Center said: "In the Filipino extended family model, we want to give to everybody, to your cousins, second cousins, to your nephews, and all of that.
“So Christmas shopping is a very big thing, and while the economic crisis has hit this country hard this past year, Christmas shopping remains to be important because you still give to your loved one."
Sally Torres, an office clerk, was able to buy five shirts for her five nephews at a tiangge, with a budget of only 500 pesos or roughly US$10.
Ms Torres said: "It is cheaper here (at a tiangge). If you are a wise spender, you will choose to shop here because you can buy much more at a lower price.
"Compared to previous years, life is harder now. That is why we need to be practical. The amount of the gift is not important, as long as you are able to show that you remembered them this Christmas."
From clothes to shoes, bags, toys, and other accessories, one will never run out of inexpensive gift items to choose from.
The most saleable gift item this year is the Manny Pacquiao T-shirt that is being sold for US$5.
The Central Bank of the Philippines said it expects consumption growth to slow down in the fourth quarter because of the immediate impact of the two calamities that recently hit Metro Manila and the northern provinces.
Consumption fuels 75 per cent of the country's total economic output.
Benjamin Diokno, an economist, said: "In terms of per capita spending...(it had) grown by about 3 per cent before the crisis. It has slowed down to maybe about 1 per cent.
"Consumers are poor and they would tend to buy less, and if they are going to buy at all, they would be a little bit cautious."
For most Filipino shoppers, no matter how small the gifts are, what is more important is to remember all their loved ones this holiday season.
- CNA/sc
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