SM = Smart Move

Yesterday, I passed by SM Department Store in Cubao and noticed that they had a sale. As all my friends can attest, I'm known to gravitate towards any store that has that four letter sign. So, I did.

There's a running commentary about the state of sales in Manila. They say that whenever our shops and malls go on sale, they immediately bring out last years collection and hide the current ones. In effect, the items on sale are often the old and unsellable ones. The past few years, I noticed that this is falsehood rather than the truth. Local shops like Plains & Prints, Bayo and Kamiseta often put their regular items on sale during sale seasons - slashing up to 50% off the price. (Perfect example is this tri-colored laser cut dress from Plains & Prints. I got it for 50% off, and it's part of their new collection.)

SM has recently latched on to this "put-the-current-collection-on-sale" mindset. Two of their house brands that I like - Soho and Beauty - have been doing this the past months. For example, in SM Megamall last March, they put this black dress with a purple obi belt on half-price. And it's an item they just launched early this year. After the sale period ended, they brought the dress back to its regular price.

I think this is a smart move because it triggers a sense of urgency in the mind of the consumer. Knowing that this "half-off" phenomenon will only last 3 days, they feel more compelled to buy it now, or else they might end up paying for it full price a week after. And judging by how those 50% items fly off the racks of SM, I think they're doing the right thing.

Same goes for this weekend sale in Cubao. There were items from Beauty and Soho that were on sale, and these were very recent items. Plus, if you go to Megamall and Makati, you'll find out that the same items are sold at regular prices. There was a lady in Megamall carrying a basket loaded with items from Beauty, and I so wanted to tell her to put it all back and just go to SM Cubao instead. She'll probably end up saving more than P2000 in the process. But not wanting to sound AK, I just let her be.

As for me, seeing how cheap the items were compared to other SM department stores, and knowing that these sale items will go back to their regular prices come Monday, I couldn't resist getting a piece or two. Or four. And seeing the meager price I had to pay for such nice items, I felt like such a smart shopper.