By KC Santos
QUEZON CITY, METRO MANILA – Just because you’re fashion forward doesn’t mean you can’t shop on a budget.
Established just last month, TOPS (The Off-Price Store) aims to instill practicality as a shopping principle to Filipinos.
Claire Javate, store manager for an outlet of this franchise business, says spending less is good only if the product being purchased has quality.
“With the desire to look good for less, people tend to compromise the quality of the product,” Claire says, adding that though the products they sell are imported, they are all priced to respond to the budget of consumers looking for style and high quality.
The items on display are all sourced directly from manufacturers abroad and are sold for half their original price tags.
Authentic brands that are “in” nowadays and are commonly sold at malls are priced “realistically” in the store, she says.
“Especially for the brand-conscious consumers, they don’t have to spend unrealistic amounts of money for a particular branded item. It gets so impractical and unnecessary,” Claire says.
She says the store is also a practical option for balikbayans who wish to cut the costs of shipping for their pasalubong items.
“We can’t deny the fact that many Filipinos yearn for imported pasalubong. They come here because whatever they can get abroad are also sold here but they can cut the costs and lessen the hassle of bringing in too much baggage,” she says.
Although she doesn’t have a problem with consumers patronizing bargain items in tiangge, she says it pays to consider at all times the “value for money” aspect in shopping.
“You can only feel good about a purchase knowing that it’s going to last. Regardless if it’s imported or local, quality should always be the number one consideration in shopping,” Claire says.
The only downside in shopping at TOPS is the limited sizes of items and customers can buy only on a first-come, first-served basis.
Though their main customers are “class A” shoppers, Claire says they don’t allow phone or online reservations so that even those who aren’t big spenders also have a shot at getting a particular product that they like.
“We prioritize everyone in this store. That’s why people keep coming back,” she muses, adding that even celebrities whom she considers wise spenders visit their shop once in a while.
TOPS may not very “local” but it continues to promote practical, yet stylish shopping for more Filipinos.
Get more information about TOPS
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by “established just last month,” did you mean the store branch’s launch? because there has been a TOPS store along jupiter street in makati (not sure if it’s still there) and another one along congressional avenue in quezon city.