Get More for Less

Who says ukay-ukay products can no longer be haggled? You might think that it is impossible to haggle ukay ukay items since they are retailed at relatively low prices. Surprisingly, ukay ukay items can be haggled only if you posses the skills of a master haggler, and I am going to teach you tips on how to be one.

Do not ever attempt to haggle items under the New Arrivals section because the saleslady or store owners would unlikely accept your offer. Avoid getting your hopes high by not considering items under New Arrivals section as subjects for haggling. New arrival items always come in expensive prices, well not as expensive as the original retail, but more expensive than what are usually found on ukay-ukay stores.

 I have to resist, but I can not help myself from buying all those shining items filled with glaring gllitters.

The sound of shoppers hardly haggling appeal to me like an orchestra, the smell of chemical additives are as fragrant as poignant roses, and the cluttered ukay ukay store seems like a palace in my perspective. Ukay ukay stores are really unruly, they have this environment that are not fit for people who seek comfort, they are for people who dare to go to the wild. I am one of those people, those people who are ready to be eaten alive just to get something, those people who boldly face challenges in their lives. I am an ukay ukay addict and nothing, I reiterate, nothing could ever stop me from being one, not even my trivial allowance.

Everytime I am on an ukay ukay store, I cannot help myself but pick any random item and reach out for my wallet. My conscience never shows up whenever I am inside the ukay ukay store, I just shop like there is no tomorrow and like I never have to live with a very small allowance. There was one time when I entered an ukay ukay store with PhP 500 at hand, and when I stepped out of the store, I took a peek at my wallet and realized that I am left only with a fifty peso bill. The five hundred pesos was supposed to be my allowance for the whole week, but it turned out that I only have to survive the whole week with fifty pesos.

Ukay ukay stores just make me go gaga. It's like taking me to somewhere I have never been before, and that place is utopia where strawberry fields blossom, where chocolates grow anywhere. Whenever I enter an ukay ukay store, I start to forget all my troubles and all my cares, all I worry about is how to make a great deal and how to choose wisely. I forget my life in the outside world and live the life inside the ukay ukay store. I feel like I have been trapped inside a space where time freezes and happiness exist.

Ukay ukay shopping is my hobby. I never get pass through a week witout passing by an ukay ukay store amidst my busy college schedule. I always find time to unwind, release myself from all the stresses and escape from the hectic world of a college student. Ukay ukay shopping means everything to me since this is the only time when I am just me without anyone dictating me what to do and without anyone pressuring me for the things that I should not do.

I cannot help myself but shop in an ukay ukay store, even though I have nothing left in my pocket. I just wanted to be there all the time, to pick the items of my choice and to be just me. Maybe the reason why I am a shopping addict is that I want to go to that world where no one is dictating me what to do, where no one can exert their authority over me, where I can experience the real feeling of absolute freedom. Psychologically I have felt that ukay ukay shopping relieve my stresses, but I can never replace the comfort my family gives whenever I feel stressed. But the thing here is that I am away from my family right now, maybe that is why ukay ukay shopping makes me feel relaxed as of this point.

Second hand clothes are indeed a great deal for people who love fashion without sacrificing a lot of money. But, is it right to sacrifice health just to save money?

In the previous post, we have discussed about the health effects brought by ukay-ukay items. These effects could only be realized if we do not properly disinfect the items that we bought. Now, it's about time to know how to disinfect ukay-ukay clothes properly.

Before washing the clothes, hang them under the heat of the sun for two hours, but if you think two hours is not enough, then you can hang them for three hours. Sun is the ultimate disinfectant, all germs thriving in your clothes will surely be annihilated. Set the maximum time for hanging the clothes under the sun because the clothes might lose their vibrant color if they are too much exposed to the sun's rays, four hours is enough to kill all the germs present in your clothes.

After hanging the clothes, put them on a basin filled with hot water (around 80 degrees Celsius) and let them stay for thirty minutes. The hot water will make sure that there is not a single spot left for germs to mutate. Boiling water is also a classic disinfectant known to our ancestors long before hazardous chemical disinfectants were invented. But, you really have to be careful because boiling water can be as dangerous as chemical disinfectants since they can ruin the quality of the clothes. What you can do to prevent from damaging the quality of the clothes is to moderate the temparature of the water by adding an adequate amount of cold water.

Surplus is a shop exclusively franchised and owned by the SM Holdings Inc., and they are usually located in SM Malls nationwide. Surplus is considered a high end store which sells second-hand items considering that they are housed in an airconditioned mall, they display their stocks accordingly, and they have a nationwide franchise. Surplus is best when it comes to finding authentic branded clothes which are sold at a very low price. Apart from that, the items found in Surplus are made out of high quality and imported materials which make them last a long time.

The main advantage of Surplus store over all other ordinary stores that sell second-hand items is that their items have not been used yet. They get their stocks from export garment manufacturers who produce high-end US brands for their customer in the USA. They usually produce excessively than what is required to give room for damaged products and samples; if the said garments are not sold to the original customer, then they are sold in bulk, usually in SM Surplus.


Why then are they sold at a very low price? Since the products are superfluous, therefore they are not bought by the original customer because of the quota; this means that the excess garments are under the jurisdiction of the manufacturers. But because these export garment manufacturers do not have the authority or license to sell the branded garments, they are in no postition to sell the item at the original price. So, they are being sold to big surplus chains such as the SM Surplus where they are sold at almost half their original prices.

One of the drawbacks of SM Surplus store is that they sell the items in cut labels because they might be sued for selling the item at a cheaper price; therefore, you might think that these items are fake and/or imitations. Another drawback is that some items may not have the same quality as the others because they might be rejects or a product of manufacturing error. Another is that this item might exist in the other SM Surplus branch but they might not exist on other branches because there is no central distributor of the items, the stocks depend on which manufacturer has contact to this branch. And the final disadvantage is that they are way expensive compared to second hand stores found on the street.

If you do not have the guts to surf the busy street to find a store that sells cheaper second-hand items, then Surplus might be the right place for you to practice your bargaining skills. As soon as you realize that you do not have enough money anymore, then you are ready to go to the streets and find as store that sells cheaper second-hand items. Be a wise consumer and fight for your consumer rights. Do not settle for less than you deserve, so find the right thing that suits your taste and you budget as well.

Source: "Aicy" @yahooanswers

Segunda Mano is indeed a great deal. You can have a good quality purchase that is right for your taste and right for the budget.