I love my wife, I really do and because she does all the family laundery, I bought her an Electrolux automatic washing machine a couple of years ago. I taught her how to operate it and she quickly discovered that it saves us money as it uses far less water. And so, for the next few months, the machine was in daily use and she was well happy with the results. And it meant she had more time to do other, more fun things and she wasn't so tired. A few weeks ago, an older female relative of hers dropped by, just as my wife was emptying the machine. The relative examined the clothes that my wife was hanging to dry and muttered "they'd be cleaner if you used a soap bar and scrubbing brush". Now my wife, like almost all Filipinos, takes great pride in how her family appear and to be told that our clothes could be cleaner was a bit shaming. We're now getting through seven litres of Zonrox bleach and four metre long bars of laundry soap a week. Oh, and two new scrubbing brushes. My wife is back to the two or three hour up-to-her-armpits-in-soapy-water stints and our water consumption has soared. All that bleach and her scrubbing has had a detrimental effect on my shirts, many of which have either faded or have broken or missing buttons. I hate T shirts, much preferring cotton long sleevers in shades of blue or grey. With my inventory of wearable shirts now somewhat depleted, this morning I took my flexible friend for an outing to SM's department store where as usual staff outnumbered customers by a factor of 5 to 1. I stopped at a rack of likely looking garments and looked for the price ticket which had been carefully hidden deep inside the shirt. Within seconds, two assistants had detected a real customer and were there, eager to assist. "How about that one?" asked one as she pointed to the shirt I was already looking at. But it was a nylon shirt yet priced higher than the real cotton one I'd bought in M&S last time home. "No. I prefer cotton" and walked off with both assistants in hot pursuit. They weren't going to let me get away quite so easily. I paused momentarily at a rack of real cotton shirts but tailored for an elephant - I more closely resemble a giraffe. And so I moved on and found a promising rack of shirts. "How about this one, sir?", she asked as she shoved a salmon pink object in front of me. Not being of the limped wrist, I smiled and said "Er, no". "You like this one?", asked the second assistant who had picked up and brought the very first shirt I'd looked at which, if you recall, was nylon. "That's not made from cotton", I said and proceeded to examine the shirts before me. But my two assistants weren't about to let me browse, they needed a sale and kept bringing shirts for me to look at. In the end I took my wallet from my pocket and produced my ACR card which I showed them. "Look, it says here that I was born in July 1950 so that makes me 62 years old. I am old enough and perfectly capable of choosing my own shirts and if I need help, I will ask, ok?" I'm not allowed in SM any more.
Why would they ban you for something so trivial? Did you put the shirts in places you shouldn't on ther bodies?
One of the two assistants went and cried to her supervisor and her story must have been exaggerated in the telling. The supervisor informed me that I had upset the young lady and I could either leave immediately and not return or security would 'take care of me'. So I left of my own accord.
That's more or less what I said to the supervisor although I didn't use the word "stalking". I did suggest that assistants give space and allow customers to browse in peace. As it was, their over-eagerness deterred me from buying at least two shirts and I would buy them elsewhere. I was then accused of being rude and disrespectful and that I should leave the store immediately.
Whenever I get that kind of treatment - sales assistants bothering me - I just say to them -'Well, your attitude has just lost you a potential sale.' In Park Pall - on the first floor - you just cannot browse!!!! Except at one store - where they leave you alone - sells bags and things - I buy there - and I have told the owner that I prefer to shop there because I am not pestered - even though the 'sales assistants' are on commission. That's the way to get sales!!!! Al.
Zonrox! Cloth dissolver! Granny insists on washing clothes by hand, Ana is more modern and lazy and would not dream of washing by hand unless the machine was broken, which had happened when I last arrived. She still buys one meter of soap when I am there though and several litres of Zonrox, the life goes out of my stuff rapidly over there, if I ever live there I will do the washing.
Well I did buy my shirts but not in SM. We ventured over to Abreeza Mall (Ayala) over on the other side of the city where there's a Marks and Sparks (and a Debenhams). Thing is, M&S are now selling shirts specifically designed for the smaller and shorter Filipino male - they're two inches shorter in the sleeve and length than the normal UK variety. Fortunately they did have some "old stock" on the shelves. Mission accomplished! :vhappy:
While the shorter Filipino male certainly is in the majority my son is 4' 5" and only seven and half years old and he does not get that height from my side of the family exclusively, there are some very tall Filipino's, uncle Boni is taller than me at around 6' 4" and around about 84 years old! Boni with Janna (James is on the left with the headphones on)
I've never really been bothered in stores over in the phils, being 6ft 3" ish and what my brother says is a f**k off scowl on my face seems to put them off!!! My biggest problem for when we move over there is going to be the lack of clothes available to me because of my size. I buy XL and 2XL in the Uk which rarely happen in the phils. Even the XL boxers aren't XL out there. More like a medium! So it looks like it'll be down to TKMax to stock up on pants and socks! I will be investing in a proper washing machine out there though. Don't want my gear falling apart inside a month of moving due to over use of bleach! When we lived in Olongapo I brought one of those yank style twin tub top loader things........utter utter utter sh**e. The amount of water it used was insane and I would probably get cleaner clothes using the toilet bowl and flushing!!!
In M&S over there you'll probably be able to get stuff that fits, I'm just big through excess beer and food and have to get 3XL in shirts and T-shirts over there, shorts and jeans are a problem though.
I am happy to say that Kay has no reservations at all about the washing machine. I find the Ayala mall in Subic much better than the SM one. I particularly like the Marks and Sparks shirts with double cuffs and two places for the cufflinks.
Didn't realise there where two malls in subic now!! Last time we where there there was only the royal mall near the airport side and another one I can't remember the name of now but was across the road from the book store on the base.
Thanks for the tip. We'll not be moving proper until October so I may get away with a bit of sales shopping in the uk first. How do the prices in M&S over there compare to the uk?
I find shopping very stressful. Recently I needed a new jacket, and wasted two Saturday afternoons shopping near my workplace in Luxembourg without success. The continental fit and sizes are strange. I found an old size tag from an M&S jacket that I purchased two years ago, and after ten minutes on the M&S website had my search narrowed down to two blazer style jackets. I did not want brass buttons so down to one jacket. Ordered on line, three days later I collected it at M&S Leeds store on one of my rare UK visits. Perfect fit, stress free shopping, a winner. Due to my love of beer I also find difficulty with shirts, slimfit was never my style. My preferred option is to visit my tailor in Bangkok and ask for the best quality material. I don't bargain him down.
I remember those - its VERY different now! SM.... http://pics.livejournal.com/fisco_77/pic/00052hhd/s640x480 Ayala: http://www.ayalamalls.com.ph/gallery/images/harbor_point_mall.jpg Kay shops like a bloke - she walks in, sees what she needs, pays for it and walks out. She obviously lacks the shopping gene. I count myself very fortunate...
Blimey. So where are they about? We where thinking about moving back to olongapo when we go out there but due to certain aspects of my past that have apparently moved back there it is off the table unfortunatly. Pity really as I quite liked the idea of living somewhere like Gordon Heights
