Shopping in Manila

An Overview

Manila is hands down the best place to shop in the Philippines. The city has clusters of well-designed malls that house a variety of local and international chain stores, excellent food courts, and multiplex cinema halls. These cavernous shopping centers are clean, air-conditioned, and have ample parking space. What more could the serious shopper want?

What to Buy and Where to Get It

The malls and supermarkets of Manila offer almost everything that one can hope to buy. But for tourists looking for a real taste of the city, there are some excellent antique shops, handicrafts stores, book stores, and the really special, “specialty stores. It is at these that visitors can buy custom made shoes, furniture made-to-order, knick knacks crafted according to your tastes, an home décor…the possibilities are endless. There are also a number of bazaars, periodic manufacturer's sales, strip malls, export sales, at-home boutiques, independent shops, and factory stores. The malls are usually safe, but be wary of pickpockets while venturing out into the markets. Also, most stores in Manila (except the international chains) encourage bargaining, so use your haggling prowess.

Manila offers lots of goodies that every traveler must take home – exquisite lace, mirrors, hand-carved trinkets, and capiz-shell lanterns. The city’s jewelry market is fiercely competitive, so take the time to look around, bargain hard, and then buy whatever catches your fancy. The “barong” is a long, formal men’s shirt worn by the locals and is the perfect souvenir for your Manila sojourn. Avoid shopping on weekends and holidays to avoid the mad rush. Also bear in mind that return policies in Manila stores are different from those in the US. Shops will take back goods only within the first 24 hours of purchase and then too, only on submission of the original receipt. Store owners also prefer giving store credit than handing back cash, so shop carefully.

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