Sari-sari stores along M. de la Cruz Street in Pasay City: A Brief History from 1946 and Their Implication to the Present Population

Abstract

The sari-sari store is an important aspect of Filipino culture and has been so for a long time. Through the years, sari-sari stores have affected the evolution of Philippine society and economy. With as much as 90% of the country’s households belonging to the lowest economic classes, most people prefer to buy from a sari-sari store where goods are sold in small quantities rather than from a supermarket where products are packaged in larger volumes and which translate to a bigger cash outlay. Sari-sari stores, accounting to about 90% of all retail outlets in the country, are usually viewed as small establishments that give the invaluable service of bringing resources closer to consumers belonging to lower-income brackets. More than this important role that they play, sari-sari stores are also very helpful to the owners who run them because they are principal sources of livelihood or supplementary means of income. This study shall discuss the history and evolution of sari-sari stores located in M. de la Cruz Street in Pasay City from 1946 onward. The study shall present data on the prevalence of sari-sari stores and their offered products at different stages during the given time frame. This study shall also analyze sarisari stores as means of livelihood for a significant number of the population in the given area. A profiling of sari-sari store customers shall also be presented.