Manila’s 6th gift to the world: The concept of tingi
Okay, so buying the regular size may be cheaper, but you have to admit, buying in small quantities is a pretty convenient
Given the income of the majority of the people living in the Philippines, many prefer to buy these small packets of shampoo, soap, ketchup, cheese, sandwich spread, and heck, even shoe polish because 1) they only have enough money for a sachet and 2) they only need that much.
Cost difference aside, buying tingi-tingi is good because::
1) You can try out a new product without having to buy a big pack, which you may or may not like
2) You can buy a small amount of ingredient needed for a recipe that you don’t usually use for cooking
3) Refill packs that you can buy instead of buying a new bottle/canister everytime
4) You can buy different variants of the same product to cater to different preferences in the household.
5) When you travel, you can just fill your toiletry kit with sachets of shampoo, soap, facial wash and toothpaste, so you won’t have to bring back half-empty bottles.
Today, a lucky random poster will receive a P100.00 Go Nuts GC. Please do not post your home address or phone number. We will contact you by email. (Lucky poster will be drawn on Saturday, December 9)
C.K. Prahalad discusses the economic model for tingi -and why corporations are paying attention.
Urbano: That looks like my kind of book.
I’m all for being part of the tingi culture, as long as people who can very well afford to buy in slightly larger quantities don’t disillusion themselves into thinking it’s cheaper to buy things in mini-packs. =)
wysgal,
to me it’s less about buying “cheaper” quantities as it is allowing the bottom of the economic pyramid to participate in the economy. -and by that, i don’t mean buying as much as selling.
small packages and sachets allow sari-sari stores to thrive (they started the tingi system anyway) -and that allows people to build up capital.
for the manufacturers, the few “delusional” middle income buyers who patronize sachets matter less than the millions of new customers at the bottom of the pyramid.
on an anecdotal note: i know friends who buy sachets of detergent and shampoo because they claim it helps them better manage their household consumption (i.e. -controlled doses).
is “tingi” really unique to Philippine culture? How about in countries where the poverty level is as high or even higher than that of the Philippines?
Come to think of it, the boom of text messaging can be linked to the fact that cell phone load can be bought in “tingi” fashion as well.
I agree, the tingi culture definitely has its advantages. When you go to a sari-sari store, almost everything can be bought in tingi. In fact, when we ran out of dog food, I was glad that I was able to buy tingi dog food at the public market. I guess many things are now available in tingi. Interesting!