I’m a frequent shopper at Saizen, the authorized retailer of
Daiso Sangyo Corp. in the Philippines. The store offers a wide collection of high-quality
items. The items range from school/office supplies, accessories, toys, to
kitchen utensils, snacks, and cleaning products. If you’re not familiar with
Daiso, it’s a franchise of 100-yen stores in Japan. As the name implies, Daiso
sells everything for 100 yen, which is around 50 pesos (or approximately $1).
However, in the Philippines, Daiso products cost a little bit higher than in
Japan – 85 pesos (around $2). It’s still very affordable though. Most products
are imported from China. A few others are from Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand.
That said, you can still find items that are made in Japan.
In my visit to the mall today, I dropped by at Saizen to buy
some items for home. Despite the very low price, my bill had reached $20. The price
does add up if you bought several items. After the cashier told me the total price
and I got guilty (again) for buying too much, she told me I could get 2 items
for FREE! I found out that Saizen is having a weekend promo for the month of
July. Buy 5 items and you’ll get 1 item of your
choice for free (I’ve bought 10 items). My guilt started to evaporate and I
was glad to have shopped there at the right time. I just hope that I will really
make use of the new things I’ve bought (and not end up hidden in the closet).
