Sari-sari Store
The ubiquitous sari-sari store has been around for many decades. It has flourished despite the proliferation of convenience stores and huge supermarkets. The reason for this is because a sari-sari store in most cases is an extension of one’s home. It is where one can buy 5 pesos’ worth of cooking oil, a sachet of vinegar or soy sauce, a lump of ice, a small pack of salt, an egg, a cold bottle of soda, and many other daily needs. Household budget is kept at a minimum since one does not need to buy the whole bottle of ketchup when one can buy half a bottle’s worth and not worry about the leftover getting spoiled. With this set up, refrigerators aren’t really that necessary as cold drinks are always available in these stores.
Unlike convenience stores and supermarkets, there’s no need to walk around looking for groceries and other stuff. One can just approach the storefront and call up the order and everything is prepared and ready to go in just a few seconds. Outside of the great service, one can also catch the latest news and gossip for free; something to talk about at home that should be good until the next trip to the sari-sari store.
Come to think of it, a sari-sari store can be considered as everybody’s personal storage room without having to pay for the supplies one doesn’t need at the moment, and with that comes the bonus of having someone look after it and making sure that the groceries don’t spoil by the time one needs them.
A walk with my camera 
How to start filling cooking oil in sachet.