Usually, old places and buildings here in Baguio will mean a scary scene in a Filipino horror movie. Their dull, dark, and creepy appearance will push people away from these structures. But then, when you come closer and get inside, you’ll find that buildings like those will not scare you at all, rather, some sort of excitement and agitation will come rushing through your senses when you see hundreds of thousands of clothes, bags, and foot wears displayed right in front of you. They’re just there, waiting for a patient individual to pick them from where they have been placed. Yes, patience. When one goes to places like these, which we call Ukay-Ukay, patience is really a virtue.
Baguio City is not just the Summer Capital of the Philippines but also the Ukay-Ukay Capital since this trend originated here sometime in the 1990’s. Ukay-Ukay in Baguio, Wagwagan as it was called before, is the ukay of all ukays. If you think that finding a 50-peso original Bayo top is a jackpot, well think again. Ukays in Baguio can even offer you apparels for as low as P5! If you want a “shopping galore,” as shopaholics call it, while spending not too much, you’ll be needing your 500-peso bill and just like what I’ve mentioned earlier, patience. Of course, you’ll need some extra strength for some extra arm and leg workout when you start rummaging through stacks of clothes and going up and down the stairs and hills of famous Wagwagans in the city.
When I was just a newbie here in Baguio, going to Ukay-Ukay meant getting itchy and enduring the odd smell of the old and rubbish clothes that were stocked in a bodega for a very long time. After more than three years of stay here, just a few months ago, a friend invited me to go with him on a Saturday afternoon in Kayang St. just at the back of the City Market. There, I enjoyed my first Ukay adventure. For only P400, I already have two black tops, one hot pink maong jacket, one white cotton jacket, a gray cotton trench coat-looking dress, and two other tops of different styles. Since then, whenever I have time and money of course, shopping in Ukay-Ukays would be my pastime. As of now, with only a few months of going to the Ukayans almost every other week, my closet is half-filled with Ukay apparels.
I was christened in the Ukay stuff in Hilltop, where the cheapest of the cheapest could be found, right there at Kayang St. Along the busy street at the back of the Public Market are hawkers spreading their goods when the clock strikes 6 o’clock in the morning, 12 o’clock noon, and 6 o’clock in the evening. Their goods sell from as low as P5 up to P40 for ordinary shirts and pants will not exceed P200. Bags and shoes are also available. Aside from the street peddlers, there are also a few wide stalls alongside the same street. The items from these stalls are a bit more expensive than the ones in the street.
Another huge Ukayan in the city is located right at its heart, at Session Road, corner Calderon St.—the Skyworld. This three-storey building used to be taller than it is right now before it fell down during the 1990 earthquake. Stalls here sell the premium items and designer brands which makes it a Wagwagan for the rich and most of the time, the tourists. Since it actually offers branded and newer items, prices are highest at Skyworld compared to that of the other Ukayans.
Of course, Harrison Road has a few Ukayans along which are almost the same as that of the Skyworld. Most often than not, hawkers also spread their goods from 7 until 10 in the evening and early morning along Session Road and in front of the Prime Hotel.
No matter where and when you plan to do some Ukay shopping, it is always advisable that you wear your most comfortable outfit. It is actually better if you wear the simplest clothes that you have. The rationale? The vendor should see you as poor and almost hopeless that you have come to their place as the last resort for buying some clothes. This will make it easier for you to haggle later on and get the items you want at even more lower prices.
The main concern here is to buy the best ones in their lowest possible prices. So when you go to Ukayans, it is best that you have lower amount of bills with you so that you would not appear to be rich. Having smaller bills will also be to your advantage because you’ll not be a target of snatchers or hold-uppers.
It is important that you do not speak English as much as possible if you really intend to get those items in their lowest prices. If you know how to speak their dialect, for example, Iloco here in Baguio, it would be better if you talk in Iloco to the vendors. Though sometimes, some tourists try to converse in Iloco that they sound trying hard and funny. The main thing to keep in mind here is that if you want to spend minimum amount, then act like you only have minimal cash with you.
Unlike in the shopping malls, items in the Ukays have no other stock. So when you spot something that you like, grab it immediately and don’t let it go until you reach the cashier to pay for it. Chances are, when you put it back, someone might be waiting for you to do so for her to get a hold of it. When that happens, you have no choice but to let it go totally. You cannot go into a fight with the other costumer because even informal shopping areas like Ukayans have some sort of shopping etiquette too. In addition to this, when you found something that you very much like and you can still have money left to buy it, buy it on the spot because if you decide to just go back for it, somebody might have already bought it.
And of course, the first thing that I have mentioned—patience. As much as possible, see to it that you have seen everything along the rack. Among the hundreds that are there, there will always be that one great item that you will find. Believe me, you’ll regret when you see your friend wearing that P50-original-Guess top that she got from the same rack that you refused to scan properly. It is also important that you scan the ones you will buy properly for damages. Buying a P25-blouse with an ugly and unfashionable rip it its sleeve is just like buying yourself a rug. When you get home, the first thing to do is to bring those that you have bought to the laundry shop to be cleaned off the dust and other unwanted and awkward smell from other costumers who once tried them on their selves.
“Ukay-Ukay is the answer to a bargain-hunter-slash-fashionista’s prayer. With the onset of the deflation of the economy, this whole Ukay-Ukay mania is not just a solution to the coinless purse, it also keeps the average Filipino in practical style, literally.”
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