Lifestyle

4 popular shopping hubs for buying holiday gifts in the new normal

We are near the holiday season!

Admit it, despite the pandemic pandemonium, you are still excited to shop for gifts. Good thing many shops and brands have decided to enter e-commerce in order to thrive during the lockdown. That means you can now have a shopping spree at your fingertips. 

But here’s more, some of the crowd favorite shopping hubs are already available online! Check out these stores that can easily cover everyone on your list without burning a hole in your pocket.

 

Dapitan Arcade

Dapitan Arcade sells candle holders, Moroccan lamps, and planters | Photo from Dapitan Arcade

Pretty sure, a number of people on your list are your āyís. So try to get them ahead of the ‘plantita’ trend and give them pretty planters from Dapitan Arcade

It used to be a shopping spot along Dapitan street in Quezon City where overruns of quality home decors and locally made kitchenware are being sold.

They have pots made of abaca, rattan, and clay with prices ranging from P55 to P700 depending on the size. They also sell ceramic cups and saucers, wooden plates, native wooden placemats, and sets of utensils.

Dapitan Arcade is also known for its affordable home decor products such as clocks, vases, lamps, figurines, and even handwoven Christmas lanterns. So if you’re completing the look of your house this holiday, click on this shop and try to buy in bulk so you can make the most out of the P150 shipping fee. The online store accepts payment via BPI transfer and PayPal. 

 

Tutuban

Tutuban Center partnered with several stores to deliver your needs right to your door | Photo from Tutubuy

If we’re living in the ‘old normal’, hundreds of holiday shoppers would probably flock to Divisoria to score cheap finds these days. But due to the gradually increasing COVID-19 cases, the number of people allowed inside malls is limited.

But recently, one of the go-to places in the Divisoria market announced that it turned digital and actually tweaked its name. Tutuban Center introduced its newest online shopping site, Tutubuy.

The mall has partnered with seven wholesale merchants in order to attend to all kinds of needs from homeware and decorations, packaging supplies, tailoring accessories to toys and party supplies.

Tutubuy also offers a one-time transaction fee regardless of how many items you checkout. They also do same-day delivery from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. except during holidays.

 

Taytay Tiangge

Aside from clothing items, Taytay Local also sells baseball cap with detachable face shield | Photo from taytaylocal Facebook Page

Another well-loved shopping destination is the dubbed garment capital of the country, Taytay market. Bargain hunters frequent here looking for their budget-friendly #OOTDs (outfit-of-the-day).

This fashion center launched its online store, Taytay Local to connect customers with the local clothing suppliers despite the lockdown.

Ever since most people were placed under work-from-home setup, the most saleable item has been their loungewear set, which includes matching shirts and shorts. 

Aside from apparel products for men, women, and kids, it also offers pandemic essential items such as face masks. They also sell baseball caps with removable face shields, fitted pillowcases, and bed sheets.

The website is not always updated with their latest items so better check their official Facebook page where they post the available items and stocks.

 

Booksale

To avoid close contact among buyers. Booksale went 100% digital
Photo from Booksale Facebook page

As fantasy author Neil Gaiman said, “books make great gifts because they have whole worlds inside of them”, so why not pick books for your friends especially now that many people have plenty of time to finish their reading pile?

Good news, you can now order online from the bargain book store, Booksale. It revived its Facebook page last August due to the requests of avid readers who frequently visit their stores. 

They post the titles of the available second-hand books, the price, and the branch where you can get them.

But unlike in other online bargain stores that usually adapt the ‘mine’ system of reserving items, in Booksale, you have to text the store coordinators of the branch to reserve and to settle payment and delivery setup.

Booksale meanwhile reminded its loyal customers to check if they are ordering from the official social media pages of its branches as many fake accounts popped up since they started doing deliveries.

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