168 Mall: Shopper's Paradiso (or Inferno)
The Philippines is a mall country. Manila is overrun by tons of monstrous shopping complexess, but for me the ideal place to shop is tiny and located far from the metro. Nestled at the center of Divisoria is a paradise of bargain shopping, 168 Mall. However, 168 Mall can get pretty claustrophobic for the inexperienced shopper. Just picture trying to shop at the MRT during rush hour. Also, the vendors know that there are plenty of customers eager to buy so they won’t let you bargain unless you buy things wholesale (meaning at least 6 items).
But it's so worth it if you have to buy gifts for your entire clan. Something that's regulary done here during Christmas time.
The period between July to August is an ideal time to drop by. Why? Well, back-to-school shopping is all done and it’s still well before the Christmas rush. Mind you, Christmas season here starts at September. (More on that in another post.) Make it a point to go on a weekday and start early. Some shops open at 8 AM. Believe me, when lunch time rolls around, it’s about time you head home.
For those who have cars, bring it at your own risk. The traffic and parking is horrendous. If you don’t have a trusty and patient driver, the best way is to get into the LRT 2 and head to Recto. From there, you can take a jeep that will take you within walking distance of the place. As the driver or your friendly jeep mate to inform you when you should get off.
What to bring?
- Lots of money! They have anything you can think of. They have a wide variety of CHEAP toys, clothes, shoes, bags, household items, kitchenware, bath stuff, baby stuff, books, decorations, gadgets, accessories, etc., etc., etc.!
- Bring a bag that you can keep close to your body. Think belt bag! With the hoards of people, you’re going to be rubbing body parts with you don’t really have time to distinguish a snatcher from a shopper.
- Bring a big foldable bag to keep all your finds in. It’s not pleasant to be lugging around a dozen plastic bags when you go into battle for the last pair of cute crocheted shoes.
- A towelette, a bottle of water, a fan and a change of outfit. Shopping… exercising, same thing!
- Boyfriend/ bodyguard/ tough grandma/ someone who can protect you. It’s no fun and unsafe going alone.
- A LIST! This isn’t a department store! You can’t dilly dally with purchases. You can find almost anything, but you gotta have an idea of what it looks like. Otherwise, you could leave empty-handed and that’s really depressing. It’s good to be fast about decision making because with all the stores and all the variety, shopping paralysis is inevitable. You probably won’t have time to go back and forth to the stores, so know what you want and when you see it, bargain like hell, buy it and leave.