First Day High! #MembersTreat

A and I woke up really, really early. We were excited for S&R's Members' Treat. I must admit though that I wasn't so sure what else to buy, having purchased everything I needed and wanted during their March Big Deals sale. But the hoarder in me was excited to check out if some of the things I didn't pick up (because they were on regular price, and I still had stocks at home) would go on sale for Members' Treat.

So we went early (early is an understatement) and found out we were 6th in line! 6th! That's the closest I've ever been to 1st for Members' Treat.

That lady in front is always first in line. She was there before midnight. Uh, spot A!

I always come prepared. This kept me awake and alert while waiting.  Mmmmm...

Time flew, so we hardly noticed we were waiting long. The man next to us kept chatting me up with small talk about just anything under the sun. That, plus like a well-prepared girl scout, I brought the iPad Mini and whiled away the time playing Bump Sheep against the computer.

After an hour or so, we were ushered inside the lot and were made to wait by the entrance! No more sitting in the parking lot with the mosquitoes from the nearby creek (thank you, S&R)!

Our spot in line. We were practically the only ones there that came prepared with drinks and snacks.
The oldies came with chairs and step stools.

TIP: If you ever plan on going on the first day during the Summer Members' Treat, bring a hand fan (battery-operated is ideal, all the manual fanning would mean muscles), a towel, drinking water, and an extra shirt. It got really humid when the sun came up.

The line at 530AM. 

The line at 6AM...

Look, no maddening crowd. Unusual for the first day of Members' Treat.
Usually, at 6AM, the line would have snaked its way outside the barricade.

At 630AM, people starting coming...

This was the crowd at 730AM, right before we were allowed to enter the store.

By that time, only 6 other folks joined the first 5 people ahead of us. Not bad. 

To tell you honestly, I was quite surprised that people were not rushing to get to S&R for this month's Members' Treat, although I kinda knew this would happen because of their 20-day early bird sale prior to Members' Treat.

And for the first time in years, I was relaxed. Didn't panic nor did I overspend. And we were done at 830AM! Woohoo! I think S&R was wise to treat their Members' and regular shoppers to that 20-day early-bird sale. If you shopped regularly at S&R, you would know which products to get, which ones to watch out for, and which deals were once-in-a-blue-moon.

Manageable lines. Wait is about 10 minutes max.

We finished really early, so we had time to get food. The lines weren't so bad.

The man in line behind me that morning told me he actually only visit S&R during Members' Treat. He says he loves imported food and hoard them at S&R during those days. On our way out, I bumped into him again and he expressed his disappointment (although he had two full carts). According to him, the sale wasn't as great as before - comparing this one to the one in September. While it is true that there aren't as much deals this time, the March/April Members' Treat always has fewer deals compared to the one they have during September. Well, because that one in September always has gift packs, toys, small appliances (for Christmas raffle draws), etc. for the upcoming holiday season. If that man was a regular S&R shopper, he'd know this for a fact.

I also bumped into my good friend, L, that day (a regular S&R shopper) who took the chance to see if the line at Congressional was not as scary as last year's. Her cart was pretty full, considering she was just at S&R the day before the sale. She wanted Quinoa, and according to her, she just knew in her heart that S&R will put those on sale for Members' Treat. Actually, hoping daw ,because for the new year, S&R had increased the price of their Quinoa from P699.95 to P999.95 a pack - due to importation and stock issues. She was ecstatic to find out she was right (Quinoa is now on Sale for P799.95 a pack)! Now because we always shop at S&R, and because we always get our Quinoa there, we knew that we were getting a great deal.

In my opinion, S&R finally found a great strategy in making sure their members get to enjoy the discounts they extend during their bi-annual sale. It was nice to see and read status messages of friends who finally got to shop at S&R during the first day of Members' Treat! LOL! And yes, finally, no complaints about the traffic, too. Hahaha!

When we got out of the store, the queue was clear, and people were streaming inside the store with ease. No long lines. A good thing, too, because of the heat. I think that was also a factor that morning, given that it has been extremely hot and humid lately. I prefer heat to rain, thank you.

Look, Ma, no lines! Come, come!

Oh and like past Members' Treat, it always is a good idea to checkout the other stores on succeeding days. Last night, at the BGC store, we found items that weren't on sale at Congressional, and those totally made our second trip worth the trouble (BGC is a long way from where I live).

Overall, I thoroughly enjoy every Members' Treat S&R puts out. If this particular one wasn't so grand to the once-or-twice-a-year S&R shopper, and yet, the regular ones are pleased, then it's a good thing. After all, that's what it should be anyway - a treat to loyal Members.

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S&R's Members' Treat is ongoing! Catch great deals and big discounts on selected products. I will post pictures of my loot and some sale products tomorrow, so do watch this space.

S&R Members' Treat; April 2 to 6; 8AM to 9PM; ALL BRANCHES

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