Cash flow

The sari-sari store is a distinctly Filipino phenomenon. At least, I've never heard of any other country that has anything like it. Literally, the word sari-sari just means "variety" and they are variety stores, though in a limited way—they sell snacks, canned goods, toiletry products and stationery supplies from rooms and kiosks usually built into the owner's home. But what makes them different from convenience stores and supermarkets is the fact that you can buy everything by the piece—one piece of candy, one cigarette, one foil pack of crackers and, in this particular sari-sari store, one egg. We have a word for it: tingi. The closest English word I can think of is piecemeal. And it doesn't end there. You can't afford a 100-sheet pad of paper? You can just buy ten sheets. You just need a single serving of soy sauce, vinegar or cooking oil? They will pour out what you need from the bottle into a little plastic bag. At least, that's what they used to do when I was younger. Manufacturing companies have addressed the cash flow problem of the majority of Filipinos by packing liquid, cream and gel products into sachets, and they're all available in sari-sari stores too.




Jacob dear, you once asked me in my Happy at Home blog if we have large refill bottles of liquid soap. Not in retail stores, unfortunately. As you can see, our products tend to go the other way, size-wise.