Shopping and Hoarding in LA
I had phase of being addicted to online shopping. Multiply was still around back then. Checking Ebay was part of my daily routine. I filled-up balikbayan boxes with goodies such as shoes, lotion, perfume and accessories. It didn't make me broke, but it did fill up my room with trash. I learned how to give away a lot of my stuff over time. I'm more careful buying stuff just because they are on sale or they fit me. I changed.
LA challenged my changed self. There are a lot of shops.
Well, not in Rodeo Drive. I don't know if I can buy anything within my credit card limit there.
There's a weekend market near USA Hostels Hollywood. I checked it out and thankfully walked away empty handed. Bad idea to start the trip buying stuff. I have luggage limits.
A couple of blocks away from the hostel is Trader Joe's. This is very dangerous to your budget and extremely dangerous to your luggage limit. Trader Joe's became popular because of the Cookie Butter that once became a craze in Manila. They sell "artisanal", "organic" and *insert-swanky-sounding-adjective-here* products here. But I confess, I went here thrice and went out with goodies every single time.
I bought pasalubongs from here. I bought my share of Cookie Butter. The girl at the counter commented that people who buy loads of those are usually headed to some tropical island. She was right. Told her I was from the Philippines. "There you go!", she said.
Shopping in outlet shops are fun! I planned to just look around. But it was the Fourth of July sale and Zy wanted to check out Kate Spade.
There was a long line outside Kate Spade. I checked out Nike first while Zy stayed in line. After 30 minutes, we were let in. Now I am not a fan of Kate Spade, or any particular designer bag brand. Scratch that, I do own a couple of pieces from Fino, but that's not a designer brand. Bags costing $300-$400 were on sale! I got two bags for $100 and $100 each (original prices were at $320 and $350!). Heck, I could hoard and sell them in Manila! But selling is not my forte. I didn't expect to enjoy shopping so much. I thank Zy for that experience. :)
I was on the lookout for more pasalubong stuff. Zy drove to Target. There are a lot of squares with shops on them. They don't have a mall like in the Philippines, where you can hit everything in one parking spot. Zy had to drive from one square to the next when we were after a store or food chain.
We still drove all the way to Camarillo.
Camarillo had Merrel. They were having a sale. I bought a pair of shoes and a pair of sandals - all for $97. That's almost the price of a pair of shoes in the Philippines. I really like their sandals.
We still hit another supermarket, because I was trying to find Burt's Bees. I had fund discovering the self-checkout counter. You swipe, bag and pay your loot all my yourself. And here's my very touristy shot of that:
And because of all of that, I had packing problems.
Make sure you have ample cash and credit limit when you visit LA! Or any other US state, for that matter. I'm glad I mostly bought food and easily consumable beauty products. Else, my room will be filled with useless stash again. At least this shopping saga did not bring me back to Amazon and Ebay.
LA challenged my changed self. There are a lot of shops.
Well, not in Rodeo Drive. I don't know if I can buy anything within my credit card limit there.
 |
| Jaguars parked under the heat. They are really used. |
There's a weekend market near USA Hostels Hollywood. I checked it out and thankfully walked away empty handed. Bad idea to start the trip buying stuff. I have luggage limits.
A couple of blocks away from the hostel is Trader Joe's. This is very dangerous to your budget and extremely dangerous to your luggage limit. Trader Joe's became popular because of the Cookie Butter that once became a craze in Manila. They sell "artisanal", "organic" and *insert-swanky-sounding-adjective-here* products here. But I confess, I went here thrice and went out with goodies every single time.
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| Interesting meat section. "Uncured" |
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| Cats cookies, anyone? |
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| I would have brought home a lot of chips if I could remove the air out of those bags |
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| Cheese choices to make you dizzy |
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| Here's the stevia thingy. Those organic labels make things pricey. |
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| Frozen aisle |
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| Soft and juicy mango, anyone? Hahahahaha! |
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| Super soft. |
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| I also got boxes of Speculoos cookies. They were a HIT. I will hoard some more when I go back. |
Shopping in outlet shops are fun! I planned to just look around. But it was the Fourth of July sale and Zy wanted to check out Kate Spade.
 |
| Citadel |
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| Outlet store of diamonds? Really? |
There was a long line outside Kate Spade. I checked out Nike first while Zy stayed in line. After 30 minutes, we were let in. Now I am not a fan of Kate Spade, or any particular designer bag brand. Scratch that, I do own a couple of pieces from Fino, but that's not a designer brand. Bags costing $300-$400 were on sale! I got two bags for $100 and $100 each (original prices were at $320 and $350!). Heck, I could hoard and sell them in Manila! But selling is not my forte. I didn't expect to enjoy shopping so much. I thank Zy for that experience. :)
 |
| Kate Spade line |
I was on the lookout for more pasalubong stuff. Zy drove to Target. There are a lot of squares with shops on them. They don't have a mall like in the Philippines, where you can hit everything in one parking spot. Zy had to drive from one square to the next when we were after a store or food chain.
 |
| I regret not buying Ghirardelli when I had the chance |
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| At the aisles in Target |
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| Dunkin Donut coffee |
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| And goody stuff |
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| I found a generic bag very very similar to the Kate Spade bag that I bought. It was selling for $20. Hahahaha! |
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| You can push the carts all the way to the parking lot and somebody collects these. |
We still drove all the way to Camarillo.
Camarillo had Merrel. They were having a sale. I bought a pair of shoes and a pair of sandals - all for $97. That's almost the price of a pair of shoes in the Philippines. I really like their sandals.
 |
| Merrell loot |
 |
| Sucessfully hoarded Burt's Bees |
And because of all of that, I had packing problems.
Make sure you have ample cash and credit limit when you visit LA! Or any other US state, for that matter. I'm glad I mostly bought food and easily consumable beauty products. Else, my room will be filled with useless stash again. At least this shopping saga did not bring me back to Amazon and Ebay.
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