# Awesome discounts...



## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

I have read a few posts in the past about the low prices of groceries and food items and some posts even mentioned a Membership Shopping Club at a warehouse type facility, *(S and R Membership Shopping), *similar to Sam's Club in the US.

This post is an update for anyone who may be interested in this great discount opportunity if you are not already a member. My wife and I were out running errands the other day and just happened to go past an S and R Warehouse facility and decided to stop and check it out. We ended up joining and wanted to post our experience here for others to see just what is needed to belong to this shopping club.

Upon entering the facility, (near the Mall of Asia), we were escorted to the customer service desk as we are not allowed inside unescorted since we were not yet members. I was given both an application and a number. I filled out the simple application which only took a few minutes, (name, address and contact number etc. ), and then waited 30 seconds when they called my number. When I went up to the counter, the young lady asked for two forms of photo ID's. I was actually lucky because I typically am not carrying all my photo ID's around with me on a daily basis but because my wife and I were out running official document errands, we just happened to have our Passports and other ID's with us.

We gave the government issued photo ID's to the customer service agent, (two for myself and two for my wife), and she processed our application. She then asked how many cards we would like...(700php for the primary account holder and an additional 400php for a secondary account holder). We opted to have the two cards in case my wife or I are ever shopping without the other...so, we paid a total of 1,100php for the first years membership fee. It was only a matter of seconds and they issued my wife and I our permanent plastic photo ID cards.

We then went into the facility to see what they had to offer and we actually ended up doing some shopping because we saw so many items we cannot get at our local food market...AND a lot of items from the United States that I am used to buying and eating. To make a long story short, we found that this warehouse shopping facility has far more than food items. They had furniture, appliances, clothing, tools, automotive items and much more!

After our shopping and paying for our items, I did a comparison of the items we had been buying at our local food market and we have already saved more than our annual membership fee! I was amazed at the savings. The discounts are NOT on every item but for me there is the added advantage of buying in larger bulk containers or cases of canned goods, etc.

One particular canned good item that my wife and I use a lot of was NOT less to buy here, (same price as our local market), but in our local store we have to always buy single cans and here at S and R we could buy full, unopened cases of 24 cans. This bulk ability in itself made it worthwhile for me but the additional savings on most items was certainly a nice bonus.

I particularly do not like to go shopping for food twice a week or even once a week. I like doing bulk shopping once a month, (or less), and then spend the rest of my time enjoying paradise.

All in all we saved more than 1,540php on our first trip to *S and R Membership Shopping* and it only cost us 1,100php to join the shopping club. So, after only one visit, we are already 440php to the good. And as we prepare to move into our new home in the next few weeks, we saw a huge advantage of buying some of our appliances from S and R as they are significantly lower priced than SM Appliances or Abenson's, etc.

An example: A Sony 60 inch, (newest 2015 model), Bravia TV was only 82,000php for the exact same model as SM Appliances, (99,700php), or from Abenson's, (96,900php). A total savings of more than 14,900php on just one item. We also found a Bose Home Entertainment Theater Sound System for a TV and it was half of what we had seen in other places...a 50% savings.

If any of you have an *S and R Membership Shopping Club* in your area, it would be very wise to at least go and check it out and significantly increase your savings here in paradise.


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## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

Cebu,

Thanks for the post as I have wondered about the place myself. Got looking at their website for fun and for others, here a link to their Store Locations.


Jet..


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## jon1 (Mar 18, 2012)

We use the one in Pampanga and visit once a month or every other month. I usually buy only items that we cannot get here in Subic and bulk items too. I have found similar savings. i have to use some self control as I tend to binge buy when I go there and see stuff that I haven't in a while.


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## galactic (Dec 2, 2014)

In Subic Olongapo all we have is the S&R Pizza place  Which is the only thing I cared about S&R.

But we do have duty free shops and a couple of Pure Golds.


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## HondaGuy (Aug 6, 2012)

When I lived in Manila I shopped at the S&R in Fort Bonifacio once a month or so and loved that I could get stuff from the US that I couldnt get anywhere else.

For example I remember not being able to get Q-Tip brand cotton swabs anywhere else and got 2x of the big 3 packs for a reasonable price.


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## cvgtpc1 (Jul 28, 2012)

Will they let one tour prior to joining?


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## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

cvgtpc1 said:


> Will they let one tour prior to joining?




YES! I asked the gentleman at the door if we could see what they have to offer to determine our decision to join and he walked us through the place...in only a few short minutes, I decided I had seen enough great bargains and low prices and asked him where I need to go to join and he escorted me to the Customer Service desk.

I used the branch near the Mall of Asia, (Aseana-Baclaran), right off of Roxas Blvd. and very near the VA Medical Clinic...so very convenient for me.


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

*S & R grocery chain*



Cebu Citizen said:


> YES! I asked the gentleman at the door if we could see what they have to offer to determine our decision to join and he walked us through the place...in only a few short minutes, I decided I had seen enough great bargains and low prices and asked him where I need to go to join and he escorted me to the Customer Service desk.
> 
> I used the branch near the Mall of Asia, (Aseana-Baclaran), right off of Roxas Blvd. and very near the VA Medical Clinic...so very convenient for me.


I think the S&R private club is owned by PureGold Grocery corp. They also have a cool online site that has product pictures, I'm sure it only touches on some of the products, here's a short cut if anyone is curious.

Welcome to S&R Membership Shopping

Another spot that's worth mentioning and in the larger cities is called Healthy Options here's their short cut, they sell bulk items such as coffee beans, nuts, dried fruits, corn flour, hard to find seasonings and herbs.

Healthy Options


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## galactic (Dec 2, 2014)

Pure Gold and S&R is one and the same.
PureGold sometime have their sale days. You would know because even the nearby provinces residents flock to Subic Freeport.


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## lefties43332 (Oct 21, 2012)

jon1 said:


> We use the one in Pampanga and visit once a month or every other month. I usually buy only items that we cannot get here in Subic and bulk items too. I have found similar savings. i have to use some self control as I tend to binge buy when I go there and see stuff that I haven't in a while.


We shop pure gold..royal choices and pelinki. Unreal what I feed family of 3 on. And we eat well. Our son has been on formula and cerilac along with everything else we eat. I spend average of 1400 a week and 500 is formula. Not counting another 500 a week eating out usually cpl times a month. Couldn't do that in states. We also buy decent oz burger.....about 5 kg a month


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## lefties43332 (Oct 21, 2012)

jon1 said:


> We use the one in Pampanga and visit once a month or every other month. I usually buy only items that we cannot get here in Subic and bulk items too. I have found similar savings. i have to use some self control as I tend to binge buy when I go there and see stuff that I haven't in a while.


We shop pure gold..royal choices and pelinki. Unreal what I feed family of 3 on. And we eat well. Our son has been on formula and cerilac along with everything else we eat. I spend average of 1400 a week and 500 is formula and 100 on diapers. Not counting another 500 a week eating out usually cpl times a month. Couldn't do that in states. We also buy decent burger now. About 5 kg month. I want to check out s and r. We eat a lot of fish and Filipino food


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

*PureGold*



galactic said:


> Pure Gold and S&R is one and the same.
> PureGold sometime have their sale days. You would know because even the nearby provinces residents flock to Subic Freeport.


There's brand new PureGold in Pagsanjan Laguna it opened up last year and another in the opposite direction in Calamba.


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## lefties43332 (Oct 21, 2012)

mcalleyboy said:


> There's brand new PureGold in Pagsanjan Laguna it opened up last year and another in the opposite direction in Calamba.


2 in olongapo


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## cvgtpc1 (Jul 28, 2012)

lefties43332 said:


> We shop pure gold..royal choices and pelinki. Unreal what I feed family of 3 on. And we eat well. Our son has been on formula and cerilac along with everything else we eat. I spend average of 1400 a week and 500 is formula and 100 on diapers. Not counting another 500 a week eating out usually cpl times a month. Couldn't do that in states. We also buy decent burger now. About 5 kg month. I want to check out s and r. We eat a lot of fish and Filipino food


Because it's only for 3 haha!

When it's just my wife and I is the only time I think I could afford to live in the PI haha


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## lefties43332 (Oct 21, 2012)

jon1 said:


> We use the one in Pampanga and visit once a month or every other month. I usually buy only items that we cannot get here in Subic and bulk items too. I have found similar savings. i have to use some self control as I tend to binge buy when I go there and see stuff that I haven't in a while.


Jon we are at robi sons San Fernando...where's s and r


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## lefties43332 (Oct 21, 2012)

lefties43332 said:


> Jon we are at robi sons San Fernando...where's s and r


Found it


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## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

Couldn't stand it. After looking at several other options for a good home theater sound system, I went back today and bought the BOSE Home Theater System from S and R but got a great bonus. Not only was the Bose system previously priced at 50% less than anyone else had it, but today there was an available discount for another 15% off and free installation if I wanted it but I opted to hook up the system myself...

So, as of today, my wife and I spent a total of 1,100 pesos for two joint memberships at S and R Membership Shopping and we have clearly saved more than 40,000 pesos with todays purchase of the BOSE sound system for our TV!


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## lefties43332 (Oct 21, 2012)

Cebu Citizen said:


> Couldn't stand it. After looking at several other options for a good home theater sound system, I went back today and bought the BOSE Home Theater System from S and R but got a great bonus. Not only was the Bose system previously priced at 50% less than anyone else had it, but today there was an available discount for another 15% off and free installation if I wanted it but I opted to hook up the system myself...
> 
> So, as of today, my wife and I spent a total of 1,100 pesos for two joint memberships at S and R Membership Shopping and we have clearly saved more than 40,000 pesos with todays purchase of the BOSE sound system for our TV!


How much was it?


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## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

26,995php for the six speaker system. I could order the exact same system for around 36,000 but then wait for ever for it to arrive. Everyone else that has it available here in the Philippines wants 52,000 or higher!

The BOSE home theater system has one central speaker, two left side speakers, two right side speakers, and a big sub-woofer to give that total theater surround sound effect right at home. I had a similar system back in the US and loved it.

BOSE has several different systems but I choose this particular model because it does not need an amplifier since my new Sony 60 inch Bravia TV has a built-in amp.


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## galactic (Dec 2, 2014)

Lots of Fake Bose in the Philippines. I mean class AAA fake Bose. Even the barcodes and serial numbers are faked. And some end up in legit stores too and passed on as the real deal.

How does one verify authenticity?


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## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

Not sure I can really answer that but I have the system in my home now and it sounds like the real deal, (awesome sound)...if you have ever heard a BOSE System before. They can fake a product but they cannot fake the BOSE sound quality! The only thing I can go by is that S and R does so much business with US and other world based companies, they would have no reason to fake anything. Also...S and R actually has a verifiable contract agreement with BOSE, so yes...this is the Philippines and this system could be a fake but I seriously doubt it. I personally believe that everything they have in the store is legit.

Are the Cheerio's fake?...and the Montana Raised Beef...maybe it came from Indonesia! But I really doubt it. It is far easier for a warehouse facility like this to just have contracts with existing companies than it is to try and fake everything. But the real answer is...who knows for sure?

I am completely satisfied that my BOSE system is the real deal and I love the sound.


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

Cebu Citizen said:


> Not sure I can really answer that but I have the system in my home now and it sounds like the real deal, (awesome sound)...if you have ever heard a BOSE System before. They can fake a product but they cannot fake the BOSE sound quality! The only thing I can go by is that S and R does so much business with US and other world based companies, they would have no reason to fake anything. Also...S and R actually has a verifiable contract agreement with BOSE, so yes...this is the Philippines and this system could be a fake but I seriously doubt it. I personally believe that everything they have in the store is legit.
> 
> Are the Cheerio's fake?...and the Montana Raised Beef...maybe it came from Indonesia! But I really doubt it. It is far easier for a warehouse facility like this to just have contracts with existing companies than it is to try and fake everything. But the real answer is...who knows for sure?
> 
> I am completely satisfied that my BOSE system is the real deal and I love the sound.


Miss tender steaks and Cheerio's for sure, that was my favorite cereal, haven't seen it in 5 years. Most of the beef would come from Australia, I remember being docked up to cattle ships, they'd fill them up till the ship sank down and headed for ports in Asia.


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## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

mcalleyboy said:


> Miss tender steaks and Cheerio's for sure, that was my favorite cereal, haven't seen it in 5 years. Most of the beef would come from Australia, I remember being docked up to cattle ships, they'd fill them up till the ship sank down and headed for ports in Asia.


You REALLY are living in the wrong place or area. We get great tender beef and even pork steaks here and Cheerio's and most all other cereals and food products are as close to us as the Duty Free Stores.


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

*Hard to get foods*



Jet Lag said:


> You REALLY are living in the wrong place or area. We get great tender beef and even pork steaks here and Cheerio's and most all other cereals and food products are as close to us as the Duty Free Stores.


Man I miss Cheerios can't say that enough or larger boxes of cereal.... but we do have the pork steaks, pork chops and great tasting pork products. Tender beef, heck no and no way, I did find a cool spot but it's a very long ways away in SM Calamba Laguna grocery store the beef was good, I forgot the name of the cut though? It has more to do with the cut and location, this cut is hard to find so I'm going to ask the butcher that cuts my stuff if they have what I'm looking for, the beef comes rolled up or is rolled up in the grocery store, perfect for the grill and the other two beef items I need are decent hamburger, we got that at one location only... and Beef legs for Bulalo no problem there either, just the steaks, they look so great, thought I was gonna loose some front teeth last time trying to finish the dang thing, ended being a favorite treat for my dog "Rocky".


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## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

mcalleyboy said:


> Man I miss Cheerios can't say that enough or larger boxes of cereal.... but we do have the pork steaks, pork chops and great tasting pork products. Tender beef, heck no and no way, I did find a cool spot but it's a very long ways away in SM Calamba Laguna grocery store the beef was good, I forgot the name of the cut though? It has more to do with the cut and location, this cut is hard to find so I'm going to ask the butcher that cuts my stuff if they have what I'm looking for, the beef comes rolled up or is rolled up in the grocery store, perfect for the grill and the other two beef items I need are decent hamburger, we got that at one location only... and Beef legs for Bulalo no problem there either, just the steaks, they look so great, thought I was gonna loose some front teeth last time trying to finish the dang thing, ended being a favorite treat for my dog "Rocky".


Good ground beef is available all over Pampanga province and several meat shops have excellent beef steaks. I've never seen the rolled beef but I may have simple missed it in looking.
I think you're kinda out of the larger expat area so less available items.


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## jon1 (Mar 18, 2012)

I have seen the rolled beef at SNR and they have USDA Beef from the US (frozen). They also have Australian beef if you prefer non-grain fed beef (less marbling, leaner).


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

*Australian Beef is good*



jon1 said:


> I have seen the rolled beef at SNR and they have USDA Beef from the US (frozen). They also have Australian beef if you prefer non-grain fed beef (less marbling, leaner).


I like the Australian beef, your right though not as much marbling but that works out for me because I like it medium rare so it works good. I just can't remember what the beef rolled up was called it's real fatty most of the time, I think the guy said it was "Camp" that's what it sounded like, I asked him twice and I couldn't understand what he said.


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## cvgtpc1 (Jul 28, 2012)

mcalleyboy said:


> I like the Australian beef, your right though not as much marbling but that works out for me because I like it medium rare so it works good. I just can't remember what the beef rolled up was called it's real fatty most of the time, I think the guy said it was "Camp" that's what it sounded like, I asked him twice and I couldn't understand what he said.


Skirt steak? We chatted about it last week I think lol.


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## lefties43332 (Oct 21, 2012)

cvgtpc1 said:


> Skirt steak? We chatted about it last week I think lol.


Hmmmm.....skirt steak?


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## cvgtpc1 (Jul 28, 2012)

lefties43332 said:


> Hmmmm.....skirt steak?


It's what real fajitas are made with. It's like flank steak.


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## lefties43332 (Oct 21, 2012)

cvgtpc1 said:


> It's what real fajitas are made with. It's like flank steak.


Like a real skirt?


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## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

Skirt...it is a butcher's term meaning to cut off thinner layers from around the edge or "skirt" of the piece of meat they are working with. The thinner pieces of meat are better for quick cooking such as with Fajitas, (as Lefties pointed out), and such other items that require flash cooking.


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## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

mcalleyboy said:


> Man I miss Cheerios can't say that enough or larger boxes of cereal.... but we do have the pork steaks, pork chops and great tasting pork products. Tender beef, heck no and no way, I did find a cool spot but it's a very long ways away in SM Calamba Laguna grocery store the beef was good, I forgot the name of the cut though? It has more to do with the cut and location, this cut is hard to find so I'm going to ask the butcher that cuts my stuff if they have what I'm looking for, the beef comes rolled up or is rolled up in the grocery store, perfect for the grill and the other two beef items I need are decent hamburger, we got that at one location only... and Beef legs for Bulalo no problem there either, just the steaks, they look so great, thought I was gonna loose some front teeth last time trying to finish the dang thing, ended being a favorite treat for my dog "Rocky".




Cheerio's are widely available here in the Philippines. I have purchased them at my local ShopWise and also at the S and R Membership Shopping and one other store in Quezon City that I forgot what it was called, (maybe Pure Gold).

Also, the beef that I buy at S and R is really nice quality and super tender! They have everything from T-Bones, to Filets, Sirloin, New York, Strip, Skirt, Flank, Roasts, Ribs...you name it, they have it there.

And US food products abound there also. Just about every major brand I could get in the US is available at S and R. Not that I personally eat all of these but here are a few items that either I purchased or saw at S and R: Jif Peanut Butter, Smucker's Jams, Jellies and Preserves, brand name cereals like Kellogg's and General Mills, Nestlé's Quik, Hersey's Chocolate syrup, canned goods from Green Giant and Del Monte, Kraft Mac and Cheese as well as other Kraft products, Miracle Whip, Natures Valley Salad Dressing, Hormel Thick Sliced Hickory Smoked Bacon, Campbell's Soups, McCormick Seasonings, Chicken of the Sea Tuna, Heinz Catsup, French's Mustard, Vlassic Pickle's, Stove Top Stuffing, Kellogg's Pop Tarts, right off the top of my head, I cannot really think of any US food item that I have not yet found here in the Philippines.

And the manager told me that if they do not have it, they will try to get it for you...


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

*Skirt steak*



cvgtpc1 said:


> Skirt steak? We chatted about it last week I think lol.


Thanks cvgtpc1 yea and that's a start, when I mention these US names they have a confused look and don't understand what I'm talking about but it's a start now I have the name and I'll try to find the Philippine name for Skirt steak. 

Did some searching and there's other expats trying to figure out the Philippine name for this steak, here's a picture of what it looks like but it's gonna have more fat on the outside in certain area's it's perfect the for the grill and it's tender.

Market Manila - Where’s the Steak???  - Beef/Lamb, etc.

Found another spot or blog and the guy is calling it a "Flank Steak" and recommends that a person ask for "kalitiran". 

@Cebu Citizen, man that sounds nice, stuffing? what... dang it and Valasic Pickles dang it again, some of that stuff is available at PureGold but when they're out they are out, for a year they sold Country Kitchen maple syrup, shoot not anymore, same with peanut butters they'll have ones that don't melt in the heat branded but after a time these brands are gone and it's back to Peter Pan (it sucks and don't hold up in the heat).


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