The Break of Dawn

Being Prepared–

The hustle and bustle of the season seem to make us all busy and what normally happens to a good many people is the whole span of the holidays hits almost unexpectedly. How can that happen when almost as soon as the New Year celebrations are over, people start counting off the days before the next Christmas? But it still does. It seems people just get swamped with work (ironically because of the holidays) and they end up not getting prepared for it.

Erick Lirios

There are at least two ways to prepare for this, of course. The more important way is to know just what it’s all about. There will be so many people touching this subject matter that we won’t try to add too much to it.

Suffice it to say that when all the people were busy partying and drinking their time away (remember, when Augustus Caesar asked for the census and people started going to their home towns, chances are it was party all the way for many of them as it is when Filipinos come home that’s why Joseph, the very pregnant Mary and the baby Jesus had absolutely no place to go) that the holy family was forced to go to a stable and the Lord of Lords was born in a manger because that was the only real (read: genuine) peace and quiet there was. The first people invited were those busy at work (the shepherds) while the other group was busy keeping tabs on the signs that would point to where the baby was born (the wise men, a.k.a. the Magi). Those too busy with themselves weren’t invited. Maybe it just wasn’t time but they might just have been too focused on themselves also.

What about the photo gifts?

Christmas is that very special time that people use as an excuse to give gifts to themselves. Besides, there’s the usual influx of cash from bonuses that it actually makes sense.

How do you know what to buy though and where to buy them? Many will be travelling to other places like Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore and there’s also this influx of questions online regarding the best places to buy. Here’s the truth: The answer to this type of question doesn’t stay the same. Things always change and smart shoppers should always continue to be aware of what’s happening. If you’re going to another country and plan to buy stuff there, make sure you’ve done your research not just in your chosen destination but at home. Remember, if you buy abroad, chances are you will lose all warranty claims or at least have it limited so much so that the price difference ends up getting nullified. If you’re the type of person who has “friends who go to Singapore as if it were Ayala,” as one woman brazenly and irritatingly bragged to me once, then by all means buy abroad and then rely on the warranty in that country. Just make sure you have a back-up so that when one unit is waiting to get fixed, you still have something to use.

But why did Hong Kong and all the other places have such good reputations for low prices? The rep is surely well-earned but, as economics go, there is still the law of supply and demand and when sellers know there is a good demand for something, prices do tend to go up. Christmas is a time when demand shoots up and this is not lost on sellers though there are supposedly a lot of sales going on.

So here’s the trick: Make sure you follow the price trend at home (keep tabs on what’s happening with prices in Hidalgo, the photo equipment capital of the Philippines, and other places in the islands) before you go abroad. Next, have a budget in mind. Better yet, have a range of prices that you’d be willing to pay for something. Say something like, “If the price of this reaches at least this level, then I’ll bite.” Allow at least a certain price difference, say, Php5,000, for stuff bought abroad especially things that can break down. That way, if it does break down and you don’t have friends who go to Singapore as if it were Ayala, you should have enough funds to cover the cost. If the price difference is just a thousand bucks, think twice and maybe buy your mother a good handbag or shawl instead. Oh, and let’s not forget your father.

While it is easier to go around the Hidalgo area since there are just around five to seven major shops and a host of smaller ones and there are a few stores in other areas that do have websites, it still is surprising that some people still haven’t learned how to window shop. What’s even more surprising is that even some women, who are usually so much smarter shoppers than their male counterparts, seem to abandon their smarts when it comes to photography stuff. They just go to a store that some friend recommends and then brings out the cash immediately. Please, do yourself a favor and window shop. Go to all the stores and inquire. One store owner in Hidalgo gets irked when you ask a lot of questions and not yet buy. He has no right to do that and that’s just plain rude. Window shop. It’s your right, in the Philippines and in every country.

The holidays still aren’t over and so, more on this next week.