When I was growing up in the province of Malapatan, Glan (South Cotabato then, became Sarangani Province now), my mom would want to buy something for the household she goes to Dadiangas then (called GenSan now). The only big stores I mean like a small mall, at that time was Kimball Plaza (I think built in late 70’s), it burned down around 2002 and Datu Complex. I think Datu Complex was closed around that year or two after that too. Before the sad event, people were just so happy shopping there. Going to those places when I was a kid the place its always jam-packed. Just think about it, since that’s the only few malls in town. The people that were shopping there were the people from the nearest towns like Marbel, Polomolok, Kiamba and the other side of the bay Malapatan, Glan and the smaller towns, and of course the people of GenSan.
At around Mid 90’s, GenSan was the boom town and too many malls were being built. KCC was built and it’s packed with people that the business were in retail (geared more for sari-sari store). Now KCC built one of the fancy mall in GenSan “The Veranza Mall”. It’s really like the annex of the KCC mall. SM GenSan, I think is the nicest SM mall that’s built in Mindanao. It used to be GenSan was quiet after sundown. Nowadays as if the city never sleeps. I’m happy that GenSan improved a lot.
I could say the same thing with Davao city. When we first arrived here to live in 2002, Davao just had a few nice malls. Its a bit better than GenSan I should say . It’s just simple malls not fancy at all. It used to be that the small neighboring towns comes here to Davao city to shop. Nowadays, those little towns have malls of their own already too like Toril, Tagum and Panabo. Living here for a long time now, I can say that no need for us to be going special trip to Manila if you don’t really need a super fancy stuff. You can almost find anything you want here. If your wife want expensive and branded stuff you can almost always get that here, I think. If she wants those super expensive bags or shoes that the famous people use, then you might have to go to Manila, HongKong or other Asian countries. It’s not a problem too for flight, some airlines now fly from other cities here in the Philippines to other Asian countries.
Other parts of Mindanao malls were being built too. I’ve seen it advertise on TV or the malls here they showed of the branches they have all over the Philippines. For sure Gaisano Malls dominates Visayas and Mindanao. Here in Davao, we have few Gaisano malls (2 here in the downtown Davao, 2 in Toril, 1 or 2 in Tagum, 1 in Panabo). The main Gaisano here in Davao city, they improved that mall a lot to compete with the other malls. Now we have 2 SM malls herein the city. Here in Davao, just near to our house we have SM mall, NCCC mall, S & R Membership Store and the new one now that were just opened a week or two ago. It’s from Felcris. They also own Chimes mall. Their brand new mall is called Felcris Centrale.
Most malls have grocery stores, department stores, appliance center, restaurants, post office and other shipping courier, pet shops, bakery, payment center for your house bills, banks, ATM machines, government offices, play area for the kids, riding train for the kids, conference rooms, theaters and many more features.
Really shopping nowadays got even better. If you have the hang of it, use the internet to shop. You don’t have to fight the traffic. Send it to your place. Use LBC courier, they almost ship to any place in the Philippines. That I know because we use them for shipping for our business.
Have fun shopping!
Yes and I can vouch for that ! Lol 🙂
Hi Geri – Ha ha ha… More fun in the PI. LOL
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Feyma, yes indeed! Sure is fun going shopping on the malls in PI. Wow! We havent been home for few years and that much of infrastructure in Davao. Where is Felcris located at? What happened yo Durian hotel? Thanks! Good morning Feyma.
Hi Willem ( Will & Emmy) – You guys will be surprise next time you visit Davao. It’s so much going on nowadays. Few malls and other places that’s fancy now. So many hotels here now too.
Felcris is located in Ecoland. Near the bus terminal and the LTO office. Durian Hotel been closed for years and years now. I think that building is not safe now to be use again. They might have to tear it down though. It’s really a shame because its a nice looking hotel and just sits there for ages.
Hope to see you guys sometime soon.Take care & God bless!
Wow! That much changed huh. I don’t know why nobody buys the place and put something in it. Anyhow, I bet. Seemed too much happening in Davao. You too take care and God bless! We will see you guys one of this days. That would be nice.
Yep. So much changed over the years here… Hoping to see you soon too. God bless!
Durian Hotel is going to be reborn, a little bird told me. A nationally-known real estate developer has acquired the property from the foreclosing bank and is drawing up plans for another high rise in its place.
hi feyme, living in manila we go shopping every week the malls here are fantastic , i have lived here
6 years and still not visited them all megamall is huge with the new part finished ,you can buy anything in
manila was in china town last week great new mall there lot of bargains yes its more fun in the
philippines, derek in sunny pasig.
Hi Derek – You have too many mall choices there in Manila. Yep, Mega mall is huge and so does the Mall of Asia. For sure China Town has lots of bargains. Draw back there for us, too many people and traffic.
Good to see you again here. Have a great day!
hi feyma, sorry spelt your name wrong,
Not a problem Derek. 🙂
2 things Filipinos like to do…shop and eat hahahah
Spot on Roger. LOL… 🙂
And, Roger.. the malls are the place for both activities! 🙂
Bob, i just recently found out by reading about SM malls that they actually called it “malling” when Filipinos first started hanging out at the malls
At least it is not “mauling” Roger! 🙂
thats true 🙂
I think the name was used to describe the trend of spending all day at the mall was interesting read.
Most just go to the malls for the air condition.
Hi Mel – Yep, that’s what almost everyone wants to do here stay inside the mall for air-conditioning. Can’t blamed them it’s get hot outside lots of time. 🙂
Hi Feyma
Much to my wife’s disgust, I hate shopping in any part of the world. If I do have to go for any reason, I go straight to the shop where I can buy what I need then leave.
My son from my first marriage used to love shopping with me but my daughter hated it.
My record is leaving home and driving 10 minutes to Bluewater in Kent, UK, and buying two suits, two shirts, two ties and two pairs of shoes all for a wedding. We were home in one hour!!
Cheers
AJ UK
Hi AJ – Ha ha ha, I think that’s really norm for the guys though. You know the typical woman shop in every store and look around at almost every aisle in the store. LOL
Nice seeing you here again!
One thing that you forgot Feyma…………
……….when a woman goes to a shop to buy a dress, they will go from shop to shop trying everything on then go back to the first shop and buy the first dress that they looked at!
In the words of the late Leonard Nimoy as Mr Spock, “Illogical Captain!!”
My prescription for happy shopping with wife.
Set budget.
Go to mall
Find bar
Give money to wife
Agree upon meet up time
Wave bye-bye to wife and pesos
Sit down
Open book and/or laptop
Order beer(s)
Greet shopping happy wife upon her return
Carry wife’s bags
Go home
Hi Kevin – Nice set up you have there. Makes you happy and your wifey. More shopping to you and your wife. 😉
Thank you for sharing your thoughts here. Have a great day!
Main reason I go is for the walking exercise in the cool while her ladyship prowls the ladies stores. WE meet up for lunch. Then grocery shop and home.
Hi William – Good reason to be roaming around the mall then.
Have a pleasant day!
Hi Feyma –
It seems that going to a shopping mall in the Philippines has become a favorite pastime of the Filipino. Going to the mall is not just to shop. You are going to a social event. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing when my wife and I went to the Mall of Asia for the first time in December 2014.
The monstrous crowd swarms around you from all sides which makes it difficult to find your bearing if you are, for instance, looking for the money exchanger. The jostling throngs of shoppers and endless procession of pretty sales ladies smiling at you and asking you with that lovely Filipino accent, “May I help you, Sir?”, leads me to believe that there is not a shopping mall here in the States, except perhaps the huge mall in Minneapolis, that can hold a candle to the shopping malls in Manila and surrounding cities in terms of size, ambiance, and crowd.
While some malls like SM malls are usually packed with ordinary Filipino families for a weekend outing, you will notice a different breed of Filipinos you will find at many of the upscale, ultra-modern shopping malls there. If you are into people-watching like me, you will observe that many shoppers who frequent such shopping malls are chic and sophisticated in dress and mannerism, and have expensive tastes. Affluence is written all over their faces, and have deep pockets to match their swagger.
They carry shopping bags imprinted with brand name logos like Chanel, Versace, or Nine West. If they are shopping for groceries, you will see them pushing shopping carts loaded with imported cheeses and imported wines, French bread, mushrooms, and jars of caviar.
You won’t get bored in a mall there. There are lots of interesting things to see. Even watching people is fun. I did that a lot, while sipping latte at Starbucks at Robinson’s mall while my wife did her shopping.
Hi John
It’s definitely not like that In Davao. Maybe the social event part is but in my experience there is not much in the way of affluent people walking around.
When I ask my wife why the malls are so crowded in Davao she has one two word phrase “FREE AIRCON!”
Cheers
AJ UK
Your comment surprises me, AJ! Lots of big money in Davao! Did you know that there is a mall in Davao where the cheapest purse you can buy is more than $1,000?
That may well be the case Bob but I personally have not seen the Gucci bag brigade described by John walking around any mall in Davao.
Only my experience of course and, with the fact I hate shopping, I probably wouldn’t notice anyway LOL!
If you are looking for that crowd, AJ, go to Chimes Mall in Uyanguren, that is where you will find it. 🙂
Mrs Feyma,
The only thing i don’t like about the malls is the loud music blasting all the time. I try to avoid going to the malls on Sunday’s because they are way too crowded for me.