Almost every weekend I end up going to the supermarket for our regular shopping. Between the supermarket and going to the nearby SM Megamall, I’ll pick grocery shopping any day of the week. I hate having to weave through weekend mall traffic (which is almost always at a standstill). Last time I went to the Megamall, I ended up parking 6 levels below the ground at the other mall across the street.
The supermarket near our house provides reasonable enough comfort for shoppers. There are a lot of checkout counters and most of the stuff we need are available. Every weekend, there are also a lot of samples to try. This weekend, there was booth for luncheon meat and instant coffee. I think it’s even possible to go to the store on the empty stomach and come out full. Just snack on all of those samples.
Another thing I like about supermarkets is the opportunity to observe different approaches to branding and packaging. Like in the case of dips or sauces for roast pig/ chicken, one packet reads “Litson” while the other reads “Lechon.” Both words mean “suckling pig,” “roast pig” or “to roast.” It just shows us that differentiation between brands should be right down to their core — what the product is. However, I don’t know if the approach of the two are effective. I’d probably still go for the tried and tested brand (at the rightmost side of the picture below).
Another thing I noticed at the store is a shift in packaging approach of a popular shampoo brand. I don’t know if it’s exclusive to the store we usually go to, but I found it odd. Isn’t it typical for those wanting to buy shampoo to smell what’s inside the bottle before putting it in the cart? The brand had a sticker (like a seal) on the lid. I don’t know if the sticker is meant to discourage sniffing out the product. I don’t know. Maybe the variants smell the same, although priced differently.
At the supermarket, I also enjoy going through the aisles with the cooking tools. There are pots and pans, chopping boards, meat mallets, and big-ass cleavers! I realized that, if one went wacko inside the store, he can imitate a Viking Berserker on a chopping barrage. Like, WTF?!
I love the supermarket!
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BONUS: I didn’t know where to put this in. The art idiot in me wants to know (the answer to the caption below):
Wake Up and Smell the Coffee 
Oh, hey ! We buy the Mang Tomas lechon brand…. We have 2 unopened bottles in our pantry right now, and several packs of Knorr Chinese soups ( which we love, we just add egg ) . Ah, in fact, we use Filipino ingredients that we buy from a huge Filipino supermarket here in our neck of the woods.
Also, I noticed when I was there, most stuff are in satchets, and cardboard packs, including soy sauce ?
I miss the malls ! There’s one almost walking distance from our house there ( about 2 km.) . It’s an SM at Better Living, Paranaque. ( That’s where we lived ). So, almost everyday, we’d drive to the mall to have lunch and dinner there, Gerry’s grill, mang Inasal, etc. Yummy. SM mall is right there at the entrance of our subdivision… so near and convenient
Oh, sachets! There’s a sachet for almost anything, nowadays. Refills are usually packed in sachets — condiments and most liquids. There are even cigarettes in sachets (5 sticks).
Ahahah ! Cigarettes in satchets? dad says you can even buy one stick at any store, and the seller will even light it for you. Talk about real service.
Oh yeah ! The 3 in 1 coffee ! ! ! I love those ! ! hahaha !
There are also street vendors selling cigarettes and candy. Adding to your Pinoy vocabulary, we call these people “takatatak.” 🙂
I used to love 3-in-1 coffee. However, it doesn’t pack enough caffeine for me. 🙂
Quite observant are we?!
Hey, DP!
LOL. I think looking at worksheets all-day long is forcing me to just look at a lot of other stuff.
The bare right boob- follow where that bareness would lead your eye to..oh she’s holding a jar…yes..ur right..simply saying..”fresh mom’s milk! Pinipili ng mapiling anak! :)”
Fresh milk! Mmmoooo!
Grocery shopping is my alone time. LOL. I look forward to it every week!
I used to spend a lot of time in the meat section. LOL
LOL. Why the meat section? Coz you like to stare at ’em chix breasts and thighs? =))
LOL
Seriously, I used to do that a lot back when I still had time to cook. 🙂