Bargain Hunting

Bargain hunting is a trend for millions of women that has been around for
generations. Just to buy things, whether or not one needs it just as long as it is marked
down, seems to be a hobby that women worldwide have in common to the point of
obsession. In the US alone, there have been already cases wherein women get trampled to
death because of women rushing in a store to catch the best bargains. side from pointing
out from this fact that men are still superior in some aspects compared to their lovely
counterparts because of our ability to control ourselves when it comes to buying things,
we can also see that women will do anything just to hunt for bargains. !hankfully, here in
the "hilippines, we have malls that dish out bargains all year round, thus lessening the
risk of women getting killed just for the sake of saving money. #iverbanks is one such
mall.
The Mall
Situated in $arikina %ity, near the bank of the city&s river, #iverbanks is a mall
that caters specifically for those who are searching for bargains. 'hether you are a male
or a female, you can be sure to find items that are light on the budget.
t a first glance #iverbanks seems to be just a typical mall, albeit a downtrodden
mall. !here are the usual shops like $iriam 'ebster and (uess, with their shocking
prices that can put a huge hole in your pocket the si)e of rnold&s biceps. !here&s even an
S$ supermarket to attend to your needs. But the place itself looks like a mall down to its
last days, with dirty ceilings, low lights, decrepit walls, shops no longer leased, I felt
depressed just walking along the mall&s passages. *f course the fact that there weren&t
that many people also helped dampen my mood. 'hen you look closely enough though,
you will start to see the small stalls in the center of pathways around the mall that contain
ama)ing bargains. !hose who are familiar with (lorietta and labang will have a hard
time noticing these stalls at first because one might think that these stalls are just smaller
versions of the major shops scattered around the mall or stalls that only offer delights to a
specific crowd, like most stalls in the aforementioned malls. But in #iverbanks mall,
these small stalls are the major centers of the mall.
Bargains galore
!here are three main bargain types to be found around the mall, bargains for
fashionistas, bargains for specific hobbies and bargains for kids.
+or the fashionistas, there are lots of bargains to choose from. %lothes of
e,-uisite designs, which sometimes range from .//01.// in branded stores, can be
brought for only 1//02./ pesos in the bargain stalls. Shoes that vary from closed ones to
heels are cheap, with prices from 1./03//. Jewelries, whether gold, silver or plastic, are
also sold at bargain prices. *f course their -uality may be a little doubtful but then with
prices that range for ./0.//, they still are a lot cheaper than those sold in #ustans.
Besides, they are just brought for short0term use in mind. Bags, with prices between 1./0
3//, are beautifully made that they were able to captivate my group mate so much that
she brought one. nd to top it all off, accessories like hats and belts are also sold at cheap
prices, with ./02// and 1//02// price ranges respectively. 'hy bother buying just one
branded t0shirt that can cost you 1/// pesos when you can use the same budget to buy a
complete set of clothing4
+or those with specific hobbies, there are also bargains to be found in #iverbanks.
I&m not saying that all hobbies are represented in the mall but the ones that are
represented contain great items for minimal prices. +or book lovers, like myself, I found
two stalls that can cater to our wants. *ne stall sells old books and maga)ines for ./01./
pesos. I found the selection to be great and would have brought about 2 books and .
maga)ines if only I had money, but alas I had none. !he other stall was a pleasant
surprise since they used a trade system wherein one can bring an old book to e,change
with one of their books with a .02/ peso fee. I wanted to trade but I had no book with me
so 5 cest la vie. +or sports enthusiasts, there are numerous stalls for them. If they want
to find cheap sports gears then they&re in luck for some gears are sold at great bargain
prices. nd of course, the usual posters of favorite superstars are also sold for ./ pesos.
+or movie enthusiasts, there are the usual fake 676s and 7%6s with prices that range
from ./ 81./ pesos. *ne last e,ample of a hobby that I found bargains for is my favorite
hobby, wrestling. I saw this one stall that had numerous ''9 merchandise on one side. I
drooled all over the floor as I saw original wrestling action figures :these of course are
not sold with bargain prices since they cost 13// pesos each;, wrestling belts and
collectible cards. !he bargains that they sold were 7%6s of old matches that can no
longer be found anywhere else in the "hilippines. !hese 7%6s, which would have
probably cost me .// and above if I had wanted to purchase them off from an original
owner, was being sold here for only 3// pesos. 'restling music albums that are sold in
US for .// pesos are being sold in that stall for only 1./ pesos. 9ven if the %6s are
fake, the prices are well worth it because of their level of rarity.
+inally the last bargains are ones for children. s we all know, we as +ilipinos are
usually hounded by our pamangkins and apos for gifts. In the end, our wallets become so
light because of all the gifts that we give to them. !hankfully if you shop for them in
#iverbanks, your wallet won&t be as light thanks to the cheap prices of toys and games in
there. !oys normally fetch for 1// pesos there and they vary from plastic words to action
figures of characters that are famous for that particular month, like Batman when I went
there thanks to the Batman Begins movie. !hen there are the computer games that also
cost 1// pesos each and like toys, also vary widely with themes that range from
educational to gory games. *f course both the toys and the games aren&t <real= :branded;
but since they&re just for kids who are bound to destroy them anyway at least it won&t
make you grimace in pain when the time comes for your kid to break your precious gift.
fter seeing all these bargains, #iverbanks suddenly breaks free from the initial
criticism that it is a downtrodden mall. *ut comes a mall that can hold its own against the
big time malls. I myself saw the mall in a new light. I finally saw the mall as a great
family place, serving bargains to different types of people. *f course, the fact that people
were starting to fill the mall up when I finally got to roam around the entire mall helped
clear away the despair that I felt when I had first trodden the mall&s dreary paths. It seems
that people no longer wake up early for bargains thanks to these kinds of malls that give
off bargains all year long.