Yay for Capitalism
During the summer when I was no longer a high school student and not yet a college student, I was still very much a moron. I was convinced that SM* was an evil evil place because Henry Sy only pays his workers a little above minimum wage, does not give them benefits, etc. Then I grew up (to some extent), adapted a capitalist world view and finally understood what Henry Sy does what he does.
This afternoon, I went to shop at Shoemart SM Makati for the first time since I chose to “boycott” it. The place was given a drastic makeover last year–the interior looks more cheerful and clean and the quality of the merchandise has improved by far. Although I have been there a couple of times, it was only to accompany my sister or my mother at the shoe or household department; I never really bought anything for myself there.
The only item in today’s shopping list was a tote bag but I ended up going to the women’s department and staying there for a good hour and a half. I always had the impression that SM catered to the masses and thus, the clothes they sold were cheap, low-quality stuff I wouldn’t be caught dead in. But to my surprise, I found a lot of great-looking tops way below my budget range (I never buy tops worth more than Php 500 or $10) that I immediately began grabbing stuff off the rack (in the end, the most expensive one I got only cost Php 350). Deeper into the womens’ department were dressier clothes, and I was very happy with the designs and prices of knee-grazing skirts they had. Although I was tempted to, I didn’t buy any because I felt a bit guilty about my unscheduled shopping spree. But I’ll definitely be grabbing a couple of them in the future since Pat’s always complaining about how short my skirts are.
I had to be very careful about the clothes I chose though, because the problem with affordable, mass-produced stuff is that everyone buys them. (The same holds true with any popular store here, I suppose.) In the end, I walked away with 3 collared button-up shirts, 3 sparkly hair scrunchies, a hot pink belt, and a white tote bag. Total amount spent: $27. In the States, 27 bucks would be like, one shirt (why did I ever go shopping there?). I was incredibly happy with my purchases and I couldn’t shut up about how much I want to go back again. Even if I were filthy rich I’d still insist on going to SM for my clothes. I don’t care for brand names; all I want is stuff that looks good on me without paying a ridiculous price for it. May the exploitation continue.
* SM is the biggest department store chain in the Philippines, owned by a Chinese business man named Henry Sy. (Think Walmart of the Philippines, except SM is so huge, it’s practically a mall in itself.) This business venture made the guy so rich, he has enough money to take care of the next four generations of Sys.
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5 Responses to “Yay for Capitalism”
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sm would never compare to the walmart or vice versa
going to walmart seriously depresses me. i like the malls there better than most of the malls i’ve been here. maybe it’s just me growing up there but i’ve lost interest in going to most places here
sm shoeeemart we got it all! (or something)
haha oh gosh, how do i still remember that?
anyway… i think sm is better than walmart.
and yeah, you’re right, sm is BIG. hehe.
nice to hear you had a fun time shopping!
blah, i haven’t for a while now, what’s wrong with me… =P
yea, I was surprised when I went home last December to find SM Makati cleaner and better. Even the ceiling is higher! Glad to know that the quality of stuff have improved, as well.
Yeah. you should see the plans for “The Mall of Asia” in Manila…
random blogging
Nice site.
People point to Walmart and cry “anti-union”.
Unions enable disfavored people to live satisfactorly without addressing their disfavor. This way their family’s problems are never resolved. Without the union they would have to accept the heirarchy, their own inferiority.
Unions serve to empower.
Walmart is anti-union because they are good. They try to help people address and resolve their problems by creating an enviornment where there are fewer hurdles.
Media ridicule and lawsuits are creations to reinforce people’s belief that Walmart is evil in a subsegment of the industry dominated by the middle and lower classes.
Low-cost disfavored Chinese labor is utilized by corporate america to maximize margins. They all do it. Only WalMart gets fingered because they are the ones who help, and those who seek to create confusion in the marketplace want to eliminate the vast middle class who have a real chance and instead stick with lower classes who may not work otherwise. So they dirty him up while allowing the others to appear clean.
The coining of the term “Uncle Sam” was a clue alluding to this::Sam Walton’s WalMart is one of few saviors of the peasant class.