Average Saturday Crowd

Nobody who has spent their life in the US seems to believe me when I tell them that an average 150,000 people each day shop in the malls around here. Sure, Manila is a big city (population-wise: around 11 million; geographically: no),, but that that many go to the malls each day is astounding. There are also LOTS of malls! Glorietta, Greenbelt, Green Hills, Gateway, SM Fairview, SM MegaMall, SM Mall of Asia, SM Ayala, SM Pasig, Market! Market!, Star Mall, EDSA Central, Shangri-La, and the list goes on....

There's never really a moment when these places don't look pretty much like the pictures you see here. Some are certainly nicer than others. Glorietta, in its star-formation is one of the best (albeit most confusing to navigate). Just try to find a store there. Is it in Glorietta 1, Glorietta 2, Glorietta 3, or Glorietta 4? And which floor? And is it in a main hall or an offshoot?



SM MegaMall is not for those who are incontinent. Signs that seem to lead you to a restroom (comfort room, or CR) lead you with an arrow that points like so: "^". Does that mean "straight ahead" or "look up"? Good question. If you think it means straight ahead, you may walk the entire 3-block length of the mall and NEVER see a restroom! You will be led in circles, see signs overhead where both sides are seeming to point you in the opposite direction! None of the signs ever point downward...they just want you to keep walking.

Here's my recommendation for any of you, locals or visitors, whether from the Philippines or abroad visiting MegaMall: if you see a restroom/comfort room, USE IT! Do it now. Do it before it is gone! You may never see it again! It will move to another location somewhere in the mall by the time you want to go back and use it! Remember: labor is inexpensive here. The people are resourceful. They CAN and WILL do it! Why do you think it is when you finally locate one there's always a toilet that won't work, a faucet that won't work, or a hand dryer that isn't operating? And what's with the constant mopping? That's right! They took apart and rebuilt that restroom/comfort room and haven't yet been able to completely re-plumb and re-wire! The mopping is to clean up any debris. These people are GOOD!

Oh, Happy Shopping!