When I went home for vacation last July, I was surprised that SM supermarket is already like a wet market. They also have those cold cuts sold per kilo. SM supermarket in not that much different from wet market anymore including prices.

In the province, I guess wet market is the only choice and that’s where you will find fresh produce.

Here in Qatar, I buy everything from the supermarket. For a kilo or two of fish, I don’t want to trouble myself of going to the fish market. But I buy beef from the butchery because it’s cheaper and that’s where I can buy bulalo, ribs and other beef parts like ox-tail, tongue and tripe.

hi,

you may also want to check out hotdogs/hams/etc at the wet market.For example a Bibbo cheese dog 250g is selling at P 46 in the supermarkets but at the wet market stalls it could be had at P35 ++.

A kilo of frozen french fries is available for P70 ++ per kg at the wet market. Usually, buy in the morning where the products are newly delivered.

As for the meat, it is usually cheaper in supermarkets. You can get meat P10++ cheaper at supermarkets (depending on vendor or brand).

For canned goods, milk, etc., it is cheaper to get them at supermarkets where they offer some in packs of 6.

Supermarket shopping is actually good exercise for everyone. You can walk kilometers without noticing because you are too busy looking at the goodies!

grace

yes there are some items both in the market or grocery that are lower or higher in price,but if you are a budget conscious you should try the “bagsakan area”

I used to buy all my veggies and meats at the wet market, but I realized that the prices in Agorra Market and those in the supermarket are relatively the same.

Like 1 kilo of pork is 145 in the wet market, and 150 to 160 in the supermarket. For chicken, it depends on the part which you buy, but in the wet market, the thigh part is 110 t0 120 a kilo already. Since I don’t buy in bulk, and the supermarket is super convenient since it’s on my way home, I usually buy the ingredients that I need for a particular dish at the supermarket instead of having to head over to the wet market that’s 5 to 10mins away from my place.

it seems you live near my place. at munoz, you can buy half-kilo of tawilis for P30 (used to be P20) but at SM North it’s P40 half-kilo (frozen) and stock not always available. I get my oranges at munoz market from a suki where i get as much as 20% discount. SM doesn’t carry valencia oranges and their oranges are not ok

Hi Salve, I’m one of your avid readers especially since I’m not one of those expert in Money finances. So I need all the help I can get.

I like your topic today. Just the other day I was chit chatting with my best friend, mitch, telling her how I missed the wet market life. You see, I grew up in a stall near the fish section. We are selling poultry & vegetables etc.
Tapos sa likod namin, puro naman meat section. Lahat ng tindera ng buong wet market parang extended family ko na.

I miss those days, na lahat halos nagpupunta to buy their goods at home. Kaya lang things changed lalo na when SM opened in Iloilo. Mas marami kang choices sa SM tapos di kapa mabaho or malansa pag labas. Naka aricon kana at may budget prices sila.

Ngayon, the wetmarket in Iloilo is really deserted. Wala ng tao or business. It’s sad to think about it. Sana the government can find the ways to bring back the life sa loob ng tiendahan.

Hotdogs are unhealthy. Make sure that the firm that makes your hotdogs and other food products have high hygeinic standards. Many of these are high-profile but would fail rigorous inspections.

if you have to weigh it, buy at the grocery.

hi nina! you can even ask the guy at the supermarket if you can wash your hands after choosing fish hehe. In the province, they say the freshest fish for example are bought near the sea! katuwa no?

hi paetechie, i love tawilis. sometimes half kilo is P10 pa nga eh. you gotta tell me where your suki for oranges are!

hi jane, great that you finally de-lurked :-). masaya makipag-haggle sa wet market ano? sometimes i find it silly already, but it’s fun haha.

I heard that Tender Juicy Hotdogs from purefoods are purely fat and really are not healthy. Same with Ligo sardines. I haven’t made an inspection, but I trust the one who saw the operations.

sawza, that’s one of my big problems really with the wet market. can they still cheat using the digital weighing scales?

Tubbykat, thanks for pointing this out. proximity and level of consumption are both important factors. I remember I used to ask the maids to buy bayongs of veggies from Balintawak market, only to find that most of them rot and end up in the wastebasket. smart consumption is the key.

Tubbykat, i forgot to ask. Where is Agorra market?

Kotz, you know it would be nice to know all the bagsakan areas :). All I know are Balintawak and Nepa-Q mart. Divisoria and Quiapo too of course. I wonder if there are bagsakan areas in the south

grace, just be sure you don’t get carried away by all the goodies

>>> grace, exercise is healthy only when you raise your heartrate a certain level. your 3 hour grocery won’t do that to you. you will just get back and leg aches.

We buy vegies from the palengke, everything else, at the grocery. I try Salve’s tip about Mekeni. We are a solid jumbo Bibbo cheesedog fan.

Peter :-), we were too. So far, no violent reactions yet from the kids and the biggest kid — the hubby, haha.

I totally agree… for fruits and vegetables, i’d go to our realiable dry market (palengke). easy enough to get the fresh ones and most of the time, can haggle for good prices… drawback, minimal (if not none at all) taxes going to our gov’t revenue collection offices… come on, walang resibo… what do you expect.

for meat, then i would fancy going to the fresh meat section of the nearest supermarket… simply because it’s quite a talent to discern really good quality meats in the wet market… unless ofcourse you have a trusted suki already (with emphasis on the word ‘trusted’). i would still, as much as possible, stay away from the frozen meat…

but whether or not folks go to grocey or merket… i hope people would:
1. revert back to using the bayong… don’t worry about ruining your ‘porma’, think of how much less plastics you’ll be discarding at a later date

2. avoid having to buy foods with so much packaging materials, especially that are not recyclables… not even sure whether the common folks have enough knowledge about this recycling.

3. know what and the amount that you need… don’t barge to the market without having an idea of how much of an item do you need… and don’t swayed about popular sale gimmicks like “P100 na lang kung 5 kilo ang kunin mo (for a P25/kilo item)” when all you really need is a couple

my two cents worth.

C_A, thanks for the tips. SM has these green bags that can be used instead of bayongs. I’m planning on buying around 10 and using them everytime I do the grocery, just as someone I know has started to do. I’m not a fan of SM although that’s where I buy most of my stuff, but I must admit, this is a good move for them.

C_A,

“drawback, minimal (if not none at all) taxes going to our gov’t revenue collection offices… come on, walang resibo…”

They do pay some government fees - I’m just not sure if you can call it taxes. If it’s a government operated wet market, stall owners/occupants pay a daily or monthly fee to the municipality. The fee depends on how big youir stall is and varies from municipality to municipality. In my town, the collector goes around everyday to collect the daily fee and a gov’t receipt is issued. Even those without permanent stalls pay this fee.

Now, for the private markets (is there any?) I’m sure they get business permits to operate their market.

I have this funny and annoying incident in SM supermarket. In other countries, supermarkets do not have baggers or if they do, it’s limited. You don’t expect someone to put your goods in bag so I’m used to doing it myself.

When I went to SM to buy some groceries, I tried to put my stuff in the bag because the bagger assigned to the counter was away and my goods are piling up quickly. My 5-year old niece, who likes to play tinda-tindahan is also doing the same thing and in fact enjoying it. Then the cashier told me, “Ma’am bawal po, pag po nakita kayo mapapgalitan ako.” Huh?! *whew*