Pinoy Christmas Shopping Guide to Awesomeness: The Christmas Shopping Hotspots!

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The last time you've heard of me was when I discussed the major, major problems in Christmas shopping. Today, I will be discussing some Christmas shopping hotspots! The Philippines is blessed with different shopping hotspots scattered all over the country. When it comes to shopping, the Philippines is never behind our neighboring Asian countries. We have one of the best shopping districts in Asia. Even Bangkok, Singapore, and Malaysia are scared to death when our shopping districts operate.

Foreigners from different countries around the world are also going crazy shopping to our native land. Perhaps the best part of shopping here in the Philippines is the price of every items and commodities found in every malls and tiangges. Compared to our Asian neighboring countries, our product prices are much cheaper and are in their highest quality.

So, here's a list of some popular Christmas shopping hotspots in the Philippines. Below is a list of places you can raid for your Christmas shopping extravaganza. You'll never find any articles in the Internet like this one, because this one is waaaayyy toooo A-W-E-S-O-M-E! (Take that! Haha.)





· Tiangge

Aaaahh... the paradise for frugal shoppers, where you can find goods— from garments, electronics, jewelry, cosmetics, toys, and even foods—bulk and in cheaper, (let me say that again) CHEAPER, price than the usual. But before you turn off your computer and rush to the world famous Divisoria, read further for more information.

If you are looking for giveaways aka generic Christmas gifts for, let’s say all your nieces and nephews, officemates, employees, colleagues, or other groups of people that you included in your list but doesn’t need an extra special gift, you can buy items in tiangge in bulk for a cheaper price. Example, if you saw a cute mug worth PhP 50, you can get it for PhP 30 if you buy six pieces. Not bad, right? In short, WHOLESALE.

With regard to the quality of items you will find, you have to be thorough in checking the items that you are buying. Sometimes quality is compromised when it comes to cheap goods. I’m not saying that all cheap goods are substandard, there are still cheap items with good quality. You just have to look hard and even harder. Remember, some tiangge stalls practice a "No Return, No Exchange" policy. Most of the tiangge owners are also not covered by the Department of Trade and Industry. So, picking up the best item/s for you by checking it/them very carefully really helps a lot in finding good and quality products in a tiangge.

Since a lot of people are budget conscious, expect that tiangge will be more crowded especially during weekends. It will be more challenging to look for the things you want to buy or to choose well. Also, expect pickpockets and snatchers mingling with the busy shoppers. So be careful when shopping in crowded areas.

Below is a list of popular tiangge destinations in the Philippines:
• Divisoria
• Divisoria Mall
• 168 Mall
• 999 Mall
• St. Francis Square in Mandaluyong
• Tutuban Mall
• Tutuban Mall's Night Market
• Policarpio St. in Mandaluyong
• Weekend Markets at Salcedo and Legaspi Villages in Makati
• Tiendesitas in C5 Pasig
• Baclaran


• Malls

For those who don’t want the crowded tiangge, mall is the perfect place to shop. The convenience of having a parking area, comfort rooms, food court and restaurants, and other facilities that you can find in a mall but not in tiangges can make your gift hunting less stressful.

Yes, prices are might be a little bit higher in malls, but quality of goods is surely much better. Most, if not all, items—electrical appliances, toys, and gadgets—that can be found in malls went under strict compliance and quality control. If you are into quality, items that can be found in malls are protected by trade and industry laws, meaning, you as consumers, are protected as well. If you are after the quality and not the quantity, it's better to go to the malls. But if you are on a really tight budget, you can only shop a few items here.

Malls are also crowded during the Christmas season. Sales are also a headache because, though the goods are cheaper, it's really hard to find what you are looking for and the choices are limited, too. Keep in mind that no matter where you go, when there is a Christmas sale, it is always a crowd. Some of the popular malls in the Philippines where you can buy your Christmas items are:

• SM Malls (nationwide)
• Ever Gotesco Malls
• Metro Market! Market!
• Isetann Malls
• Metro Gaisano Malls
• Star Mall
• Festival Mall
• Glorietta Malls
• Trinoma Mall
• Ayala Malls


• Bazaars

Bazaars nowadays are always part of the Christmas seasons. Christmas is not complete when there are no bazaars. Sometimes, your favorite local stars and celebrities are the ones who initiate or participate in these bazaars. Bazaars in the Philippines are usually built to benefit certain foundations or home care centers. Some other bazaars are built to expose small and medium scale entrepreneurs. For a listing of some upcoming bazaars in the Philippines, you may want to click on the link below:

Christmas Bazaars in the Philippines 2011


Now that you know some place to shop, are you ready for shopping? Happy shopping!