I went to SM Bacolod yesterday. It was fraking full. Not as bad as last Saturday but still… There aren’t even a lot of people shopping, just a lot of people walking around being nosy and all that. Bacolod is full of nosy people. Heck! Negros is full of nosy people, as I spied jeepneys from Kabankalan and Pulupandan stopping a day of earning money to bring a jeepneyload of their family to SM. I saw babies, a month old at least, being dragged off by their mothers to see the new mall. It’s funny. And it’s not even THAT special. It’s just a mall. Really, I’ve seen bigger! (Pun intended)
But this being Bacolod, where the biggest “mall” is Gaisano City, it was a must see. And people never fail to disappoint. An actor who went to visit was greeted by a thousand people, even though he was at the supermarket for only 15mins. There was a stampede when he arrived and the human barricade provided for his security was easily broken by the mob. Racks were overturned, some people were hurt. You’d think there was a fire or something.
The first shop that John and I visited last Saturday was The Surplus Shop. They have American sizes and it’s easier for me to find a size that fits John there. We were there 30 minutes, and the place was packed, but ended up buying 4 shirts for him. Hehehe It was worth it. Our next stop was Watson’s, where I almost kissed the floor in utter disbelief that my favorite store was finally in Bacolod. Wheee!!! I didn’t buy anything coz I was so stunned I didn’t know what to grab first. LOL We went back again yesterday where I made up for Saturday by buying 2,000.00 pesos worth of stuff from Watsons alone. Hehehe
Looking around SM, I have to say it’s a good thing that Henry Sy finally decided to invest in Bacolod. Good for the consumers. More competition helps people look for cheaper and better quality subsitutes to goods. Gaisano, Robinsons and Lopues will be forced to stop sitting on their asses and reinvent themselves to think of better ways of getting a bigger market share. However, I would like to point out that SM is still more expensive compared to local stores, especially those in the downtown area, and the disparity between the A and C market will only be further highlighted by this. Being part of the B class however, has its perks. I can shop anywhere I want to.