🛍️ Weekend Mission Chaos! The "Philippines Common Occurrence" Baptism Encountered at the Checkout Lane 💦 🗓 Saturday, November 22, 2022

 

Yesterday, I made full use of my afternoon to tackle two major missions: picking up a package at Daily Overland and grocery shopping at Ayala Mall!

🚙 The Great Confusion: Parking and the Waiting Game

First, I headed to Ayala Mall, only to find the underground parking lot was absolutely packed! Seeing that it was a pointless delay, I decided to head straight to the Daily Overland Legazpi branch to get my package first.

But, the truck that had arrived was carrying other cargo! My package wasn't due to arrive until after 2:30 PM 😱.

I had no choice but to kill time, so I went back to Ayala Mall. This time, I successfully found a parking spot and quickly bought groceries for breakfast and lunch.

⏰ After timing my return perfectly for 2:30 PM, I went back to the Legazpi branch. A big truck was finally there! I successfully picked up the long-awaited package!

Loading it into the car and bringing it home, I unpacked it, handed over the requested items, and pulled the golf clubs out of the golf bag. That completed the series of my chaotic weekend missions!

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🛒💨 Encountering the "Zero Concentration" Veteran at the LCC Supermarket

Now, here's a little "Philippines Common Occurrence" (Aruaru) I ran into at the LCC Supermarket in Ayala Mall.

The female cashier (the onee-chan) seemed like the type who simply doesn't listen to people...

First, she asked me, "Paper bag or eco bag?" Of course, I requested an eco bag, specifically asking for a large size to fit the other items I had on my left arm.

As you know, in Japan, customers usually bag their own groceries, but here, there is a packer behind the register who bags the items one by one.

However, the moment a friend-like woman started talking to her while she was ringing up the items...

The eco bag request completely vanished from her mind!

The packer was diligently stuffing my groceries into a paper bag!

💬 The Confused Conversation: "Eco Bag?" "10 Pesos."

Me: "What is he doing? I asked for an eco bag, didn't I?"

Her response was: 👩: "10 pesos."

It seemed she had completely forgotten my initial request for an eco bag and thought I was now asking to buy one.

I handed her the 10 pesos, and she then passed the packer a small eco bag and he started bagging again.

Me: "I said a large bag, didn't I?"

👩: "40 pesos."

Me: "What is the price of the large bag?"

👩: "40 pesos."

Me: "I gave you 10 pesos earlier, so the difference is 30 pesos, right?" After explaining it step-by-step, she finally seemed to understand.

📌 Is This the Reality of the "Philippines Aruaru"?

She's not a newbie; I've seen her at this store for a long time, so she should be a veteran. Frankly, I was disappointed by her complete lack of focus and general inattentiveness.

I hate to say it, but perhaps this is the average mindset of the Filipino people in the service industry.

It makes me realize that the talented workforce probably flows to the major cities or goes abroad for better pay... This was another moment where I experienced a different kind of "Philippines Common Occurrence" while living here!