The Christmas season is always a time for the whole family to spend time together, either a simple get together at home and have a nice home-cooked meal, or they may opt to go out and eat, go to parks or go to malls, especially going to malls. For me one of the things I really enjoy doing with my family, either during Christmas or just any ordinary weekend, is shopping for groceries.
Yesterday, I went to SM Hypermarket at the SM Mall of Asia to buy some last minute groceries in preparation for the new year. I know, it may seem a little early, considering the fact that most people shop for the new year 1 or 2 days before media noche. But I didn't want to join the rush, shopping with what, 500 other people at the same time. Anyway, even though the new year (Year of the Earth Rat) is still a few days away, the Hypermarket is nonetheless pretty packed with people.
I remember the first time I bought groceries at MoA, it took me about a little over two hours to purchase the items I needed. It was a pretty long time, considering I do my groceries for about 30-45 mins. Anyway, there were just so much people and the place was really huge to begin with. But now, since I shop here most of the time, it only takes me an hour the most.
I'm not an expert in buying groceries but here are a few tips on how you can maximize your time at the MoA Hypermart, and at the same time getting everything you need while keeping to your budget.
1. Make a list of everything you need to buy. Stick to your list. Usually, the things that you put in your list are the things that you really need. This will save you a great amount of time and spare you from going 'round and 'round the supermarket, searching from aisle to aisle, and end up filling your cart impulsively with things that you want, instead of the things you need.
When I make my list I list it according to the arrangement of the aisles at the Hypermarket. My list would look like this: toiletries (shampoo, bath soap, conditioner, mouthwash, etc.) household items (laundry and dishwashing soap, etc.), miscellaneous items (dog food, garbage bag, picnic items-only if needed, etc.), processed food items (noodles, salad needs-mayo, cream, coffee, pasta, pasta sauce, ketchup), liquid drinks (liquid or powdered juices, milk, softdrinks), canned goods and junk food, condiments and cooking needs (spices, soy sauce, cooking oil), pastry, eggs, dairy products (cheese, yogurt, etc.), frozen goods (bacon, ham, hotdog, ice cream, etc.), chicken section, seafood and meat section, rice section and lastly the fruit and vegetable section.
2. Make sure you have enough cash. If you don't like bringing cash, they accept major credit cards and payments made through BancNet ATM cards. I prefer the last option. Cashless payment. Just present your card and enter yout 6-digit pin, then, wallah! It is automatically debited from your ATM card. It is as good as cash.
3. If you are bringing a car with you, make sure you park at the North Parking of the mall. Shopping carts can not be brought inside the main mall. To avoid carrying everything that you bought from the North wing to the South wing parking, it is best to park at the North side of the mall. You can opt to ride the tram provided by SM that passes a station every 15-20 minutes to get from the North to South wing, however this is not advisable, since the tram is filled with people most of the time and its hard to get on, especially when you have lots of grocery bags. If you are taking public transport, there are taxi lanes at the front of the mall and numerous forms of, FX, jeepneys, buses, etc.
4. Don't forget to bring your SM Advantage Card. Present this card to earn points for every P200 worth of purchase at the hypermarket. If you don't have one yet, and if you shop regularly at SM, it's best to get one, since you get points that you can use as cash later on. I've been a member for almost 2 years now I think, and last October, I bought a Sony PSP game worth P3199 for only P2399. I used the 800 points I have accumulated over the years. So, it's a good deal I guess, since I buy groceries at SM almost once a week.
5. If you have a green bag, bring it. You will earn 2 extra points at your SM Advantage Card for every green bag that gets filled. Before, when they were still introducing this, they were giving away double points for every green bag, but I guess all good things must come to pass.
6. Weekday shopping. There are less people during Mondays-Thursdays. Especially around 1-4PM. But of course, Decembers are different. There are always lots of people whenever, wherever.
So, that's that. I will follow up this entry with a complete list of the products and the aisle numbers they are located in, for your shopping convenience.
Enjoy and happy holidays!
