Shopping in the Philippines

CDs containing music and Blu-ray DVDs containing either local or Western films are available in reputable chain stores inside malls, but the very cheap option are most likely outright pirated copies. The CDs or DVDs sold at very cheap prices as low as ₱10 are most certain to be bogus, either smuggled from China or pirated in the country; street markets, most notably the ones in Quiapo, Manila, are hotspots for open sale of pirated films. While locals living or working overseas might be able to bring counterfeit discs into the country they are residing, it is best not to follow their examples to avoid risking legal trouble on customs checks once you return home.

The air-conditioned shopping malls form the largest share on the Filipino retail sector, and it isn't hard to find shopping malls in the Philippines, from large to small and modern to traditional.

The major mall chains are SM Supermalls, Robinsons Malls, CityMall and Ayala Malls, with locations around the archipelago. There are other major chains as well, including Walter Mart, Vista Malls and Megaworld Lifestyle Malls, and some regional chains, like Gaisano in Cebuano-speaking areas, CSI in Pangasinan, and LCC in Bicol. Most, but not all, are tied to real estate conglomerates, and some have partnerships (e.g. SM Supermalls partners with CityMall and Walter Mart).

Malls typically open at 10AM till 9PM, but may open earlier and/or close later during weekends and the Christmas shopping season (September to early January). Most are closed during Christmas, New Year and Good Friday.

Mall security is tight at best, due to terrorism and crime risk, and has been tightened after numerous incidents. There will be generally long lines for security checks, involving bag and body searches. Two lines, one for men and another for women, are handled by a male and a female security guard. Body searches are either through frisking, detector wands, or full-body metal detectors (common in SM Supermalls and Ayala Malls).

Department stores in the Philippines tend to be chains tied with a shopping mall chain; prime examples are The SM Store, Robinsons's Department Store, Metro Gaisano and Rustan's. Others form standalone stores that can be found on inner-city or downtown areas, some being chains such as Unitop, Uno and Novo and others being mom-and-pops. As a rule of thumb, department stores at malls tend to be more expensive, while downtown or inner-city locations will be cheaper. Some may also have a supermarket and a food court at the basement.

Supermarkets in the Philippines are dominated by five large chains:

• SM Markets - the biggest supermarket group in the Philippines with over 500 stores, with the SM Supermarket, SM Hypermarket, and Savemore being its flagship stores. Prices in SM supermarkets are usually in between those in Puregold and Shopwise/Rustans.
• Puregold - the 2nd biggest supermarket chain with over 450 stores, mostly big-box locations. Other brands under the group are the smaller, neighborhood market chains Puregold Jr. and Puregold Extra, and the warehouse club S&R. Prices of goods are generally the lowest among the major chains. S&R is a warehouse club – similar to Costco – and has 12 locations, mostly concentrated in Metro Manila; membership is required, but the locations have a high proportion of imported goods and they also in-store fast food and New York-style pizza near the checkout.
• Robinsons - the 3rd biggest supermarket chain with over 400 stores. Chains under these are branded Robinsons Supermarket, the group's flagship chain often part of the Robinsons malls, or Robinsons EasyMart, a neighborhood supermarket.
• Rustan's Supercenter Group – Owns Rustan's, Rustan's Fresh, and Shopwise; they also manages the Philippine operations of Wellcome. Most of their stores are big-box stores one or two storeys high, with sprawling parking lots. Stores usually have a larger proportion of imported goods and prices higher.
• Gaisano - the 4th biggest supermarket chain with over 200 stores. They are mostly concentrated on Cebuano-speaking areas, including Cebu province, and northern and eastern Mindanao.

Local, non-chain grocery stores exist in town centers, but they are prone to future closures as the larger chains open one or more stores; the best thing with these stores is they may have lower prices than the big-name chains. In less developed areas, mom-and-pop supermarkets remain strong.

Chain convenience stores are common in urban areas, and it is not unusual to see two stores of the same chain near each other. Major chains include 7-Eleven, with over 3000 stores and Uncle John's (formerly Ministop), with over 700 stores. There are also locally founded chains, like All Day with over 150 stores, and San Mig Food Ave, most of whose stores are rebrands of the Treats stores in Petron stations. Imported brands like Alfamart from Indonesia, and FamilyMart and Lawson from Japan have stores in the Philippines, and are expanding. Most, but not all of these chains are tied with any of the major retailers (e.g. Uncle John's is tied to Robinsons, Alfamart is tied to SM).

Many convenience stores are operated by a franchisee, if not directly by the larger managing company. Convenience stores in the Philippines generally have a wide variety of products, usually a subset of products sold in a grocery store, and fast food, that can be eaten at-store or outside store, as well as services like cell phone load, money transfer, courier service and bill payment. They mostly operate round the clock, but some, like some Alfamart stores or stores inside malls for example, only operate in specific hours of the day. Some stores may be found in a gas station, but they are mostly of a different brand, as stores with a brand tied with the oil company (e.g. Shell Select, Petron Treats) are rather the exception than the norm these days.

Aside from those, traditional, sari-sari stores (small corner stores) are common, especially in the rural areas and the barangays, and they outnumber convenience stores outside urban areas. These are mostly family-owned stores usually found beside a road, and sell items that can be bought in grocery stores or general merchandise stores, but lacks the lavishness of ordinary convenience stores. They mostly have large advertisements, usually of cell phone "load", soft drinks, energy drinks, coffee, alcohol, and cigarettes, along with the store name below. Sari-sari stores also provide cell phone "loading" in addition to selling products.

Any city and many rural areas will have some ukay-ukay stores, the Filipino version of a thrift shop. They sell mainly used clothing, all imported and much of it from the US. Selection is excellent for women of typical Filipina sizes; there are generally fewer choices for larger ladies or for men, but there are some items. Some places have lots of kids' clothes, others almost none. Prices are almost all under ₱300 and most under ₱100.

Some ukay-ukay stores use a sliding price scale; when they have a new shipment, almost everything is ₱75 an item, but after a few days that drops to ₱60. Later ₱50, ₱40, and eventually whatever is left can be had for ₱20. Then they get another shipment and the cycle repeats.

There are many Japan surplus stores, selling mostly furniture and household goods. They need a lot of space, so they are often located along highways or in suburbs rather than near city centers. Many have a good selection of bicycles at attractive prices, and they also often have good luggage. They can also be good for appliances, but caution is required since much of Japan uses 110 V while the Philippines has 220 V, so you may need a transformer; see electrical systems. If you play the game of Go, it may be worth looking for equipment in these stores; good finds are quite rare even though the game is popular in Japan, but when you do find something it may be a real bargain.

Similar stores also exist for second-hand goods from South Korea. These are generally smaller and sell mainly clothing and shoes.

Book Sale are a chain of used bookstores; most books are paperbacks imported from the US, priced at ₱25-75. They have many locations, mostly in malls in major cities. They are quite popular with foreign residents.