Slacks Are Cheaper Than Polo Shirts

Lately, it seems like I've been going out quite a bit. This time, I'm heading to my boss's store located at a gas station somewhere in the middle of Clark. They'll be providing me with transportation allowances for the three weeks of training in Pasig City.

Hmm... transportation allowances.

It seems that they expect me to commute back and forth from Pampanga to Manila every day for the duration of the training. Since I don't have a place to stay in Manila and I don't want to rent a room, that's pretty much going to be my routine.

My boss hands me the allowances for the first week and wishes me good luck in my training. Despite her appearance resembling an antagonist in a Tagalog movie (I hope she never reads this), she's actually very kind.

During the orientation, we were informed that we need to wear a specific uniform for the training, including black slacks, black socks, and black shoes (yes, they have to be black). We will temporarily wear white polo shirts until the trainer provides us with the actual uniform. This brings up the question of where to purchase these items.

On my way back home, I noticed that a new building in downtown Angeles has opened. It's one of those tiangge-mall hybrids that have been popping up everywhere. Out of curiosity and the need to find the items on my list, I decided to check out the establishment. I wasn't entirely certain if I would find what I was looking for there, but it seemed like a good place to start.

The mall consists of four levels, each categorized to help shoppers find what they need easily. The ground floor houses all the clothing, the basement level is dedicated to footwear, the second floor is filled with toys and home essentials, and the third floor is where you'll find electronics and appliances. I spotted plenty of affordable and stylish clothes that could easily tempt me to overspend, but I reminded myself to stick to what I actually needed.

One aspect I dislike about department stores is how the sales staff tends to follow me around as if I'm about to shoplift or cause mayhem at any moment. Of course, it's tolerable if the salesperson happens to be attractive, but most of the time (based purely on my experience), they resemble heavily made-up guys. This time, I decided to use this saleslady to my advantage and ask her to be genuinely helpful for once. I requested her assistance in finding the items I needed, and she gladly obliged. Before I knew it, she led me to the section where the black slacks were displayed (fortunately, I already had black socks and shoes at home). It turns out that salesladies do indeed possess knowledge about their merchandise. I apologize for doubting otherwise.

As I sifted through the stacks of slacks (yes, it rhymes), the ever-helpful saleslady asked me the dreaded question every shopper faces: What size do I wear? I remained silent for a moment, trying to appear as though I was recalling a distant memory. Here's a tip if you ever find yourself in a similar situation: give a size larger than your actual size. That way, when you try on the pants, they will obviously be too big, prompting the salesperson to find a smaller size. Clever, right? It's better than having to search for a larger size.

I provided her with my size (or rather, my size plus 5 inches, which I won't mention here), but unfortunately, the poor girl couldn't locate that size. She handed me the largest size available. I decided to try it on right then and there, without taking my pants off in the middle of the store, of course. I simply wrapped the waist of the pants

 around my neck. This unconventional method has always served as my way of checking if the size fits me; I'm not a fan of fitting rooms. If the pants don't choke me at the neck, they won't choke me at the waist. It's a tried and tested formula for me.

The size she gave me fit perfectly. So, my little trick regarding sizes didn't work this time. I checked the price tag. My budget for pants was 500 bucks, and the tag revealed that this particular pair cost only 149. I double-checked with the saleslady to confirm the price, and she nodded. I immediately grabbed a second pair.

Next, I asked the now-friendly saleslady to guide me to the section with polo shirts, partly because I was feeling a bit lazy and partly because I enjoyed her company. We arrived at the aisle for men's apparel, which anyone with 20/20 vision could spot right away. I examined the displayed shirts, and lo and behold, they seemed to be my size. I was starting to really like this store. Other places usually only have sizes for skinny teenage boys or for those wanting to resemble suman. Moreover, the shirts here had nice fabric. I checked the price tags and found them to be only 160 each. Surprisingly affordable! I grabbed two of them as well.

By this point, the saleslady was probably considering giving me her phone number, but I respectfully declined since I'm not interested in guys.

I paid for my purchases, handed her 50 bucks as a token of appreciation for her help, and swiftly exited the mall. I might return soon to buy some other things. This experience just proves that good quality clothing doesn't have to come with a hefty price tag.