marital status in small sari sari business
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A sari-sari store, or neighborhood sundry store,[1] is a convenience store found in the Philippines. The word sari-sari is Tagalog meaning "variety" or "sundry". Such stores form an important economic and social location in a Filipino community and is ubiquitous in neighborhoods and streets. Sari-sari stores tend to be family-run and privately owned [1] operating within the shopkeeper's residence. Commodities are displayed in a large screen-covered or metal barred window in front of the shop.[2] Candies in recycled jars, canned goods and cigarettes are displayed while cooking oil, salt and sugar are stored at the back of the shop. Prepaid mobile phone credits are provided.[2] The sari-sari store operates with a small revolving fund,[1] and generally doesn't provide perishable goods requiring refrigeration.[3] The few that do, have refrigerators to store soft drinks, beers and bottled water.[2]
While many of the Sari-sari store owners may be un-schooled in business, they are an integral part of the eco-system of society and contribute to the grassroots micro-economy. According to Magna Kultura Foundation, the network of Sari-sari stores nationwide account for almost seventy per cent (70%) sales of manufactured consumer food products, which makes it a valuable part of the economy and an important conduit for making vital goods available to Filipino neighborhood communities. While the Sari-sari store owners are small business people, they are the backbone of the grassroots economy. It is estimated that 800,000 sari-sari stores hold a substantial portion of the Philippine retail market, and accounts for a significant chunk of the country’s GDP. About 13 percent or Php 1.3 trillion of the Philippines GDP of Php 9.7 trillion in Y-2011 came from retail, which is composed largely of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) or small businesses like sari-sari stores.
Often sari-sari store owners put a markup of about 10% on average, compared to the 20% markup average of the alternative 24/7 convenience stores such as 7-11, so most Filipinos tend to buy at sari-sari stores whenever possible. Sari-sari stores have higher prices when compared to supermarkets but provides several benefits to their customers.[4] The sari-sari store allows members of the community easy access to basic commodities at low costs. Without them, villagers must go to the nearest market town which may too far from the village itself.[1] In the Philippines, following the concept of tingi or retail, a customer can buy 'units' of the product rather than whole package. For example, one can buy a single cigarette for one peso (0.02 US dollars) rather than a whole pack. This is convenient for those who cannot buy the whole package or do not need much of it. Even though buying products through tingi can be practical for the buyer, its cumulative costs may be more expensive than buying the product's regular units.[5] The sari-sari store also saves the customer extra transportation costs, especially those in rural areas, since some towns can be very far from the nearest market or grocery. The store may also allow purchases on credit to their customers.[4] The stores may also act as trading centers in rural areas. Farmers and fishermen may directly trade their products to the sari-sari store in return for basic articles, fuel and other supplies.[6]
The sari-sari store also saves the customer extra transportation costs, especially those in rural areas, since some towns can be very far from the nearest market or grocery. The store also serves as a secondary or even primary source of income for the shopkeepers. The owners can buy commodities in bulk in groceries then sell them in the store at a mark-up price. Trucks usually deliver LPG and soft drinks to the store itself. The store requires little investment since the products are cheap and only a few modifications on one side of a house are needed to convert it to a sari-sari store. The sari-sari store also allows credit purchases from its "suki" (repeat customers known to the store owners). They usually keep a record of their customers' outstanding balances on a school notebook and demand payments on paydays.