Panic buying at the SM 3-day sale

Last March 16-18 was the SM Makati 3-day sale. I was introduced to this sale by my mom last year and I was not impressed at first. I hate it when they say up to 70% off (take note of the words "up to" and the fine print "on selected items only") and when you get there, most of the nice stuff are not even on sale. But what was different about this, for those not familiar, is when you're an SM Advantage cardholder, you get an additional 10% off everything from 10am to 12 noon on the first day (Friday). Plus, when you use your BDO credit card, you get an additional 5% rebate. And you can avail of the 3 months 0% interest installment plan for purchases above P5000.

Our target is to buy everything within the 2-hour opening period since that's where you get the biggest savings. We jokingly call it "The Amazing Race" since there's usually a crowd waiting outside the mall before opening time, all ready to pounce once the door opens haha! Our strategy is to go to SM a day before the sale on Thursday and start checking out the stuff we want to buy. Usually, the 2-hour window for the additional 10% off gets crazy, with super long lines and agitated customers (I've experienced people fighting with each other in line several times already haha). So to make it easier, you can actually have the stuff you want to buy reserved already on Thursday and you can just get it and pay for it on Friday.

Anyway, I've been eyeing quite a few items in SM before already that I've been holding off on buying. I've been very patient, waiting for the sale so that I can really save a lot and buy in bulk. If you're not in a rush, you should definitely wait especially when buying furniture because the discounts are huge! Anyway, here are some of the items I was able to get and I couldn't be happier!

I've been wanting to buy this abaca rug for the longest time and I'm glad I waited for the sale. From P8600 it was 50% off, and with the additional 10% discount and 5% rebate, it became P3600! What a steal!

I wanted to add more life and color to our living room and I thought putting plants might do the trick. I got this for about P1300.

Bought more decorative plants and vases...

They had so many nice artworks (framed and on canvass) I wanted to buy them all! But Audrey Hepburn will forever be one of my favorite prints.

Placemats and tablecloths. Again, if you're willing to wait, buying the small items together with all your other stuff during the sale can really save you a lot.

 

Acrylic food containers, both stylish and practical...

Shower curtains at just P100 each (I also bought the curtain rod and hooks)...

I love how gorgeous this curtain print is! I was having second thoughts about buying this since I know how Vins just likes plain stuff, but I knew I would regret it if I didn't get this. Plus, it was 50% off!

Another cute curtain find, just P500 for 2 panels!

One of the busiest sections during the sale is the beddings department since they give great discounts on comforter sets. I already bought comforters during the last sale, so I just settled for nice linens. Be mindful of the material and thread count though. I bought sheets for just P250 a set last time but as expected, the quality wasn't so nice. So this time, I made sure the sheets were soft even though they were a bit more expensive. I realized that you should invest on nice quality sheets since these are things you use everyday.

I also bought clothes for the kids, a hairdryer, and a dress. My mom got a barbeque grill, an electric fan, bedsheets and kitchen stuff as well. What was crazy is how we managed to fit everything inside our car haha! The multiple trips to the parking lot was insane!

Now just a heads up, SM MOA will be having their 3-day sale this March 30 -April 1. I don't even want to go since I'll just be tempted to buy more stuff! But the writing desk I was planning to buy in SM Makati wasn't available so I might just take a peek and see what they have in stock... ;p