Shopping in Divisoria

In front of 168 Shopping Mall at Divisoria

Divisoria is found in the city of Manila, Philippines. It is the best place for retail and wholesale buyers. We can buy shirts, shoes, pants, house equipment, food and a large number selection of products that we need. A lot of stores around you bought their product from Divisoria, because the products to be found here are so cheap.

Considering the cheap prices of nearly all products in Divisoria, we should still consider the quality of the product. A lot of people would prefer to buy cheap products rather than the expensive ones because they know that they can sell it for higher prices. They would prefer to feel the heat and the high volume of shoppers rather than the comfortable feeling of being in the popular malls if their money is at stake.

Divisoria can also be comfortable for the shoppers. There are also air-conditioned malls located in the area. These are: 168 Shopping Mall, 999 Shopping Mall and the Tutuban Mall. These malls are also like the malls that we can see and visit outside the area. But in these malls, what we can see inside those malls are different from what we can see here. The malls in Divisoria are like bargains and tiangge outside put inside the mall. But it is more organized than the stores outside - only a bit more expensive because of the sellers' higher rental expenses. There are also food courts to be found inside these malls. Fast food restaurants are also present in these malls. The difference of the prices are too far from the other malls for it is also a mall that provides convenience for the shoppers. The biggest difference that we can notice in Divisoria malls is the price of the goods. 

One thing that we can do in Divisoria that we cannot do in malls outside the area is to negotiate with the sellers. We can always ask for discounts and for lower prices than the original price. There are some tips/strategies to make the seller agree on your asked price based on my experiences:

1. Don’t act and dress like you’re rich. The seller might see your economic state based on your appearance and actions. When they know that you’re rich, they will just ignore your case because they know that you can afford their product at original price. This will also help you repel most of the crimes that might happen in a crowded place like Divisoria. You might attract thieves when you look rich.
2. Do the sales talk. To be good in negotiating, you must know the principles of sales talking. You should know the prices of other stores and compare it to the particular seller's products. In that way, they will be worried about their price so they will just sell you the product in lower prices.
3. Don’t be afraid to look at other stalls. Divisoria is a large place. There are a lot of stores that are selling the product you want. They might have lower prices. When saying that you are going to look for others and walk away to the seller, they will just agree on your asked price just to have a sale. This is a very effective way to get products in a lower value.
4. Be smart and confident. When shopping in Divisoria, you should always be smart. You should think before you make decisions. You should be aware of everything. When you know nothing, the vendors will just make you decide based on what they are saying. You’ll just agree with them even if you don’t know what is right. When you are asking for price, don’t fall back. Go with the words that you said. You should fight for it calmly. For example, you asked for 80 pesos of the 150 pesos which is the original price, the vendor disagree. You should not go back with the original price and pay it. You must increase your asking price by 10 pesos until the vendor agrees.
5. Be careful. Do not bring your valuables such as gadgets and jewelries when shopping in Divisoria. Keep your eyes on your belongings. It is a crowded place filled with different kinds of people. There are thieves looking for victims but there are police officers scattered around the area to maintain the peace and order. But they are not enough to take care of yourself and your belongings.
6. Buy two pieces or more of a specific item. There will be discounts when you buy two pieces or more. For example, a shirt is 150 pesos per piece, when you buy two, it will be worth 300 pesos. They will give it in a lower price. They might give you those for only 250 pesos. The more items you buy, the higher the discount you get. Wholesale buying gives you a lot of savings. A class A compression shirt can be bought by paying 350 pesos for each item when you are buying retail. When you’re going to buy for a dozen of those, each compression shirt can be bought only for 180 pesos each. You saved almost half of the original price. That’s a big saving that can be used to buy for other items.
7. Ask the shop owner. A lot of owners of shops are either Chinese, have Chinese blood, or are influenced by Chinese culture and tradition. If you want to get something at a lower price but the saleslady doesn’t want to give that item, tell her to ask her boss. The boss would likely agree because all they want is to sell (at a profit). There will be not much of choice for them if you’re the first buyer or the only buyer.

In the Philippines, you will not be able to find a market that sells goods as cheap as Divisoria. You still need to balance quality with price though, as you might find products from Divisoria that perform less efficiently and break more quickly than those brands that you can find only in popular malls like SM Supermalls.