# sari sari store



## natbakinfo (Apr 6, 2014)

Can you make a 'normal' income with a sari sari store? Some people say yes, others know. I know I cannot have it but my wife can.
Thanks


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## council (Sep 4, 2013)

"Normal" is relative on what you might be expecting. If the store is well stocked and has no competition within a few hundred meters then it may be a good business opportunity.

Sent from my SM-G925I using Tapatalk


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## natbakinfo (Apr 6, 2014)

well stocked yes including beer, rum, soft drinks and some other ideas...
Normal means an income that allows us to have a worry free life, similar to that in Australia. We will purchase a house, so there is no rent/mortgage. We are 2 with 1 child and thinking about ****** occ


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## lefties43332 (Oct 21, 2012)

i think not even close to


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## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

natbakinfo said:


> well stocked yes including beer, rum, soft drinks and some other ideas...
> Normal means an income that allows us to have a worry free life, similar to that in Australia. We will purchase a house, so there is no rent/mortgage. We are 2 with 1 child and thinking about ****** occ


Realistically, no. There are at least several sari-sari stores on every street so far too much competition. Many customers expect to be given credit. If you do not give credit they will shop elsewhere. If you do give credit, most will not be paid back.
Profit margin is too small. An item you buy for P5 is only sold by your store for one or two peso profit.
Better for your wife to find a hobby as the store idea is just not worth the effort.


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## galactic (Dec 2, 2014)

It will depend on location, location, location.


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## pijoe (Jul 21, 2015)

It took my wife and I 10 years to find our niche market... very difficult to do without putting the time in boots on the ground. Best bet is to go there where you have your heart set on living, make many, many ,local, Pilipino contacts. Find a niche market that is currently not being exploited, and do that. If you try to compete with a Pilipino you may make an enemy... not so much with a Sari Sari store, but they are a waste of time as the ROI is going to be so, so, small and what is there is going to be eaten by credit. You do not need to swoop in with big ideas to change the world and compete with the locals... if you do you will make enemies. Remember, skilled labor is cheap, find something that is not being done and do that. You dont need to know how to run an extruder, for example... you just need business sense and someone that does know how to run said extruder. Money to be made is by being a benevolent facilitator... cheers.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Sari-sari stores and food stands*




natbakinfo said:


> Can you make a 'normal' income with a sari sari store? Some people say yes, others know. I know I cannot have it but my wife can.
> Thanks


What a waste of time and effort would be my personal comment, not only do you make a tiny profit on every single item you sell but some Sari-sari store owners forget they pay VAT, transportation costs and somebody has to man the store from early morning to late in the evening, what a pain and agony operation and don't forget they alway's will ask for credit.

The only people I see still in the Sari-sari store business in our area are people that have a constant money flow coming from the states or an OFW if not they go bankrupt, so it's hardly a good business same with the specialized hamburger and shaomai, fish ball stands all depressing.

Things that do work are selling items such as rice, oil, alcohol, beer, soda's (not refrigerated- energy costs), sugar, flour, starch, salt and possibly a billiards table type operation (watch they are hard on the sticks and table), selling filtered water, I wouldn't do the internet cafe either.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

The family will also expect to eat from the store for free. Your a rich foreigner so no problem.


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## Lanhawk (Feb 25, 2015)

Here is my take, can you make money on a sari sari store? My answer is yes but not much. The profit margin on each item is about one or two pesos. Remember you have to keep your prices in line with what other sari sari stores are charging. Will it be enough to live on? My answer is no. We had a store and while it made money, it wasn't a lot of money, and as others have stated you have to have someone man the store morning, noon and night. What we have found out is there is more money to be made by selling cooked food so if somebody in the family can cook and is willing, then that might be an avenue to explore. A selling filtered water will give you a basic profit of ten pesos per five gallon container and an extra five for delivery. 
For me its all about multiple streams of income, doing a lot of little things rather putting all your eggs in one basket. Wishing the much success.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

I live out in the Provincial area's and gambling is what brings in the crowds, I have a pool table and it's located next to the road, my normal daily take would be from 50 peso's on up to 350 peso's (1 table) the daily average would be 100 peso's but it had to be staffed and they don't like to give up their 5 peso's it's a challenge but in-laws and kids can't eat the sticks or balls but they sure can switch them out if your not watching, especially the billiards balls, they can be rough on the table and sticks also.

If you can master how to repair the sticks (easy) and table (much harder) it could be a money maker.


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## Tukaram (Dec 18, 2014)

Lanhawk said:


> ...What we have found out is there is more money to be made by selling cooked food so if somebody in the family can cook and is willing...


Our cousin cooks street corner BBQ and makes about p200 a day. Not bad for 3 hours work. She used to work for Gaisano 6 days a week, like 10 hours a day for p250 a day. Cooking can pay well.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Street BBQ*



Tukaram said:


> Our cousin cooks street corner BBQ and makes about p200 a day. Not bad for 3 hours work. She used to work for Gaisano 6 days a week, like 10 hours a day for p250 a day. Cooking can pay well.


That's another winner, I can never get that perfect flavor and nobody gives up the secret for the street BBQ on a stick, the successful spots are in the busiest intersections in our Municipality.


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## esv1226 (Mar 13, 2014)

Sari sari store means long long hours - it requires almost no special skills to start one. But with determination and business discipline you can be succesful. I owe yous and freebies (beer for police, in-laws, etc) are some of the many problems.
The return on preparing food, e.g, barbeque, ****, siopao, pancit or specialise only on one is much higher. I've seen some success stories starting wth small ventures.


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## pijoe (Jul 21, 2015)

esv1226 said:


> Sari sari store means long long hours - it requires almost no special skills to start one. But with determination and business discipline you can be succesful. I owe yous and freebies (beer for police, in-laws, etc) are some of the many problems.
> The return on preparing food, e.g, barbeque, ****, siopao, pancit or specialise only on one is much higher. I've seen some success stories starting wth small ventures.


We started last March with $300 puhunan, we are over $2000 now and it pays all household bills. PLDT, Elec., tuition for nephew in college, ect... It prompted me to start a culinary education actually.


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## esv1226 (Mar 13, 2014)

pijoe said:


> We started last March with $300 puhunan, we are over $2000 now and it pays all household bills. PLDT, Elec., tuition for nephew in college, ect... It prompted me to start a culinary education actually.


Congratulations. What do you call your business?
I know a young couple who make siopao only. It became popular in the town. They get orders for any occasion; birthdays, funerals, etc. After a couple of years they were able to buy a vehicle for deliveries.


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## pijoe (Jul 21, 2015)

esv1226 said:


> Congratulations. What do you call your business?
> I know a young couple who make siopao only. It became popular in the town. They get orders for any occasion; birthdays, funerals, etc. After a couple of years they were able to buy a vehicle for deliveries.


Its officially called Happy Family,as registered, but my family calls it Big Daddy's... kind of an inside joke.


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## Glen48 (Jul 6, 2012)

*Printing*



pijoe said:


> It took my wife and I 10 years to find our niche market... very difficult to do without putting the time in boots on the ground. Best bet is to go there where you have your heart set on living, make many, many ,local, Pilipino contacts. Find a niche market that is currently not being exploited, and do that. If you try to compete with a Pilipino you may make an enemy... not so much with a Sari Sari store, but they are a waste of time as the ROI is going to be so, so, small and what is there is going to be eaten by credit. You do not need to swoop in with big ideas to change the world and compete with the locals... if you do you will make enemies. Remember, skilled labor is cheap, find something that is not being done and do that. You dont need to know how to run an extruder, for example... you just need business sense and someone that does know how to run said extruder. Money to be made is by being a benevolent facilitator... cheers.



I looked at DTG printing cost a few G to buy but could be a winner ???


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

Glen48 said:


> I looked at DTG printing cost a few G to buy but could be a winner ???


Every street corner has one, no money in it.


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## natbakinfo (Apr 6, 2014)

Thanks all


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## Tukaram (Dec 18, 2014)

My wife has convinced herself a sari sari store up on the highway would be a good idea. There is a strip of 5 shops, you can rent one for p50 a day. One has a computer cafe, one a sari sari store, and the other 3 shops are empty. The existing sari sari store is only open a few days a week.

So she wants to put one in next door to it... I have tried to tell her that the other one is never open because there are so few customers. I am trying figure a way of doing it without losing to much money ha ha. Maybe a couple thousand peso for initial stock... and daily rent... and she will lose interest in it within a week or two?


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Stuck in the store*



Tukaram said:


> My wife has convinced herself a sari sari store up on the highway would be a good idea. There is a strip of 5 shops, you can rent one for p50 a day. One has a computer cafe, one a sari sari store, and the other 3 shops are empty. The existing sari sari store is only open a few days a week.
> 
> So she wants to put one in next door to it... I have tried to tell her that the other one is never open because there are so few customers. I am trying figure a way of doing it without losing to much money ha ha. Maybe a couple thousand peso for initial stock... and daily rent... and she will lose interest in it within a week or two?


Sari-sari stores seem to work when connected to the house but to spend all day long at a store is real depressing and hot plus she'll need that credit list and track all those that will pay later, so another downer. 50 peso's per day though, not bad for a rental.

My in-laws have been somewhat successful selling plastic buckets, close line clips and other plastic items, those concrete charcoal cooking home made stoves, brooms and also charcoal but I think someone has to sleep in the store over night in order to keep the place from getting robbed so? They use one of the family members, he sleeps and spends most of his days in the shop.


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## Glen48 (Jul 6, 2012)

I tried to convince a store owner to sell Chicken roaster thingo i wanted to make ...he told me it would not sell yet roast chicken is a big seller


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Lack of funds*



Glen48 said:


> I tried to convince a store owner to sell Chicken roaster thingo i wanted to make ...he told me it would not sell yet roast chicken is a big seller


Western standards or meals are different from what a Philippine citizen eats for dinner, example would be us eating out at Shakey's we might order big such as the large pizza and the large order of chicken and mojo's but if you look around at the other tables nobody is ordering a whole pizza or even a small order of chicken and mojo's they order? the other junk on the menu and yet if you check the parking lot it's all brand new vehicles.

Most of the citizens in our area will order a small pre-cooked meal of 15 peso's to add flavor to their rice.


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## Tukaram (Dec 18, 2014)

mcalleyboy said:


> ...Most of the citizens in our area will order a small pre-cooked meal of 15 peso's to add flavor to their rice.


Yeah, our cousin cooks street corner bbq and sells the small stuff on a stick. She makes almost p200 in like 3 hours. It seems better than a store to me. People buy 1 or 2 for dinner - I have to eat 5 or 6, but could skip the rice ha ha


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## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

You can't make sense to them about it, so just go along with it and try to minimize expenses however you can. My Wife & Sister thought they would make a fortune by opening a gown rental. This started the 1st week of August and cost me approx PHP 80,000. Now it is November and has already shown a profit of PHP 1,000. LOL. Just think of it as a way to keep her happy doing something. 

Fred


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## galactic (Dec 2, 2014)

I'm looking into franchising Kambal PandeSal.
Any feedbacks from the group? Official site states over 500 branches nationwide.


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## Scott E (Jun 1, 2015)

natbakinfo said:


> Can you make a 'normal' income with a sari sari store? Some people say yes, others know. I know I cannot have it but my wife can.
> Thanks


NO ,, stay out of the Sari-Sari ,, its a pain in the butt


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