Lived Experiences of Vendors in Selected Clothing Bazaars in Davao City:

A Phenomenological Study

A Research Paper presented to

The Faculty of Senior High School
University of the Immaculate Conception
Bonifacio St., Davao City

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements in Practical Research 1
2nd Semester, S.Y 2019-2020

Cabunilas, Nicole Irish A.

Celeste, Leila Marie Zenith R.
Coroza, Kyla B.
Delima, Reymar V.
Diansay, Adrien Justin G.
Gubaton, Joahna Ellaine R.
Inguillo, Bernie M.
Mapait, Kyle Oliver P.
Sanz, Camille V.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Introduction

Background of the study........................................................1

Purpose of the Study..............................................................5
Research Question................................................................5
Theoretical Lens.....................................................................6
Review of Related Literature..................................................7

II. Methodology

Research Design...................................................................1
Sampling Method...................................................................2
Participants............................................................................2
Research Instruments............................................................3
Data Collection Method.........................................................4
Data Analysis Method............................................................5
Trustworthiness of the Study.................................................7
Ethical Considerations...........................................................9
Role of the Researcher.........................................................9
 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

In the area of business, bazaars are currently trending and gaining a lot

of attention. Nowadays, many are really conscious about their OOTD and

they really want to wear something that matches their mood and place that

they will head on but at the same time they want to have items that can fit

to their budget. Philippines is experiencing a crisis right now so people are

becoming wise and they want to have an item that is worthy of its price.

People are patronizing bazaars because they can purchase variety of

items from dresses, shirts, shoes and accessories in a much lesser price.

Branded items are much expensive compare to the items in bazaars but

they have the same designs and styles, so people will really choose this

kind of stores rather than spending a lot of money in branded stores. Items

in bazaars are also durable and the quality is nice. It is also less

consuming of time when they are buying in Bazaars because in one store

they have a variety of things that you can choose from, like shoes and

other accessories. However, there are some instances that affects the

success of these Bazaars.

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 According to Kazim (2013), Istanbul’s grand bazaar is one of the

largest and most popular covered markets in the world, but now

management claims that vendors have weakened the structure of

Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar to that point that it may collapse. The century-old

indoor market is in danger of falling apart. They have also said that the

place is not refurbished for a long time already. The manager claims that

there are a lot of vendors that situates there are not permitted, and they

are hollowing the walls in order to create more spaces in the stores. This

actions endangers the stability of the building.

In the Philippines, as cited by Reformina (2011) the Bureau of Internal

Revenue (BIR) has warned those planning on putting up bazaars and

“tiangges” in time for the yuletide season to strictly comply with the

insurance of official receipt goods sold for P26 and above. Henares (2011)

reported that there are standing regulation and BIR with regarding the

Bazaars and tiangge. She also said that if they can’t comply with this rule,

they might file a case against them. The BIR estimates that 43% of the

economy constitutes transactions and services by informal and

unregistered professionals and business who do not issue official receipts

and commercial vouchers causes billions of losses in terms of revenue

from tax collection. The BIR are doing their best to monitor

this kind of actions.

2
 In Sulu, according to Miani (2011) situated in a remote area long

historical buffer zone between competing political entities, the Sulu Market

is an illicit market of a typical form. The said market is intertwined with

piracy, terrorism and trafficking. The Sulu Market hides this illegal doing by

making the people think that it is just an ordinary bazaar but Criminal

Gangs, communists, Moro Independence groups and Islamic militants are

all major players in the market, making it a security problem for at least

five members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

With this problem the Nation or the Philippines are greatly responding

about it.

As an entrepreneur, making decisions is very crucial because those

decisions are the basis of your success or failure. Knowing the track of the

other entrepreneurs is a big contribution to the people who are just starting

or wants to start a business because they will be able to identify the

factors that can affect the success of their business. Thus, this study might

help them to have a strategic method or formulate variety options of ideas

for their business to surpass those possible problems.

Based on the idea above, after doing this research the researchers

believe that the results gotten from this can give some information to the

readers on how to run and manage their business. This research will also

give them idea about the internal and external factors that the business

3
may face that can cause failure. Furthermore, the researchers’ objective is

to help new entrepreneurs to formulate ideas on how to innovate and

create strategic methods for them to grow and compete with other

competitors. The researchers are desiring for a positive outcome about

this research that can help entrepreneurs to have a successful business.

Nejad (2016) conducted a study entitled Social Bazaars and

Commercial Bazaar: Comparative study of spatial role of Iranian bazaar in

the historical cities in different socio-economical Context where he focuses

on the effects of some physical factors, in traditional Bazaar, on the sense

of security. The difference of our study from his study is that we are

studying about the problems that a bazaar vendor can experience or

encounter. We are also researching about what are the entrepreneurs

doing for their business to grow and to compete with their competitors.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to discover the

experiences and to know the struggles of the vendors in the selected

bazaars in Davao City. Different people have different ideas about what it

takes to build a successful business. Some believe having good ideas is

essential, while others emphasize the importance of skill or catering to a

contemporary demand. While hard work, talent, and the drive are all

critical characteristics of a good entrepreneur, there’s another important

4
aspect of doing business that often gets overlooked: experience.

Research Questions

This study was conducted to determine the Lived Experiences of

Vendors in Selected Bazaars in Davao City. The following Questions are

examined in this study:

1. How do the participants perceive and describe their experience in

selling products?

Theoretical Lens

This phenomenological study is bind with different theories such as the

Relational Theory, System Theory and Utilitarianism Theory. These

theories are the proof that shows how relevant research is.

Mclvor (2005), The Relational Theory provides explanations on how

enterprises may acquire and maintain a competitive advantage with

regard to their relationships with other organizations. This model has been

used to study the phases of transition, relationship management and

reconsideration. In the area of business it is really important to have some

connections and proper attitude to your co-workers for your to have a

harmony within each other.

5
 Bertalanffy (1972), System Theory is an interdisciplinary theory about

the nature of complex systems in nature, society, and science, and is a

framework by which one can investigate and/or describe any group of

objects that work together to produce some result. This could be a single

organism, any organization or society, or any electro-mechanical or

informational artifact. Business is all about connections and working

together because you need someone to get your stocks and someone to

sell your products. If you as an entrepreneur is not social and always

wants to work alone, you can't guarantee the success of your business.

Hamilton (2018), Utilitarianism is a moral theory that implements fair

choices in an effort to ensure the least amount of harm is done to all

parties involved. The utilitarianism approach requires that you decide what

course of action needs to be done and evaluate the outcomes of each

action. By focusing on the outcome of each action, utilitarianism demands

that you decide on what course of action based on the benefits or harm of

the actions without regard to the cost of the action. In business creating

decision is very crucial because this where your success may depend on,

so in this Theory it states that you should be rational and always logical

when creating decisions and you should always look forward for the result

or what are the consequences that your decision may cause.

6
Review of Related Literature

History of Bazaar

As per Nazar (2017) in their study of "From bazaar to shopping center:

Analysis of the evolution of modern commercial spaces in Tehran " it expressed

their that numerous analysts accept that in the traditional era, the commercial

spaces in Iran, with the centrality of bazaar, had a cozy association with the

other urban components and a mutual relationship and coordination can be

seen among these components. Bazaar is a Persian word which returns to the

pre- Islamic periods. It was formed as an economic urban foundation at

Sasanian period in business profitable urban communities.

A bazaar's role in a typical Iranian city is very important. The word “bazaar”

is an old Persian word that is now an integral part of Iranian culture. The word

has a very long history, and historical documents indicate that the concept of a

bazaar in Iranian towns and cities dates back to 3000 B.C (Kermani and Luiten,

2009).

A bazaar is one of the key elements of spatial organization in Iranian

cities; the main body of the city cannot be defined without the existence of

a bazaar. In many historical cities, the main transport routes are

established in relationship to the main “Bazaar Rasteh”; hence, historical

7
bazaars are in the form and layout of cities (Pourjafar et al., 2013).

This long-standing literature views bazaars as constituting a holistic

way of life encompassing economic forms, political sensibilities, social

relations, and various ideological persuasions, all of which fall under the

rubric traditional (Keshavarzian, 2009).

Challenges in Bazaar

According to Yallodahi (2017), in their study about “The Iranian bazaar

as a public place: a reintegrated approach and a method applied towards

towards the case of the Tabriz bazaar” that the main focus of this

dissertation is the critical investigation of the bazaars in the commercial

cities of Iran. This work deals with the challenges that the bazaars in Iran

have been exposed to over the past century in economic, political and

social terms. The work explains how an Iranian bazaar is structured and

functions as a public space in a modern city.

According to Boakye (2009) conducted a study on “Street Vendors and

Obstacles” in Ghana. The study is based on 400 street vendors in 6 towns

in Ghana. The study revealed that the vendors chose this occupation as it

needs no skill and needs only less capital. They also entered because it

was the only job available for them. The vendors were found to suffer from

health problems such as constant fatigue, tiredness and sore throat.

8
Success of Bazaar

As stated by Yadollahi and Weidner (2017) in their study "Facilitating

the Process to Social Sustainability: A Culture-Based Approach for

Mapping Historic Public Places, Applied to the Example of Tabriz Bazaar,

Iran," the current public space literature shows the significant role that

public space in enhancing social sustainability. Nonetheless, a more

actual methodological framework is needed in empirical research and

practice, taking into account the complexities of local public space

understandings and social sustainability. This provides a framework for

understanding the current levels of public and private actors ' obligations,

privileges, and vulnerabilities in various areas of the studied region. By

presenting the historic public site with a place-based and culture-based

model, the strategy will promote the negotiation and management process

and thus contribute to improving the site's social sustainability

According to the study of Blas and Erestain (2018), Flea markets and

Bazaars exist all over the world and have been contributing to the success

of each place. In the Philippines, Taytay Tiangge plays an important role

in the economic development of the Municipality of Taytay. Further

knowledge about the strategies employed by the tiangge sellers and its

effects on the purchasing interest of the market will bring larger success

and benefits to the municipality and the residents.

10
Bazaar Services

According to Petrescu & Bhatli (2013), bazaars does not only serve the

lower class and income shoppers, but also the white collar and

professional occupation. Retail has emerged as one of the largest industry

worldwide in many countries like USA, UK, Mexico, Poland and Asian

economic titans like China, South Korea, Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia

and none other than our own India. Moreover, the economies of Countries

like Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka depend heavily on

Retailing. Retail in US generates an average annual sales of more than

$3trillion is the Second largest industry ranked both in terms of

number of establishments and Employment.

The organized retail sector in US generates 17% employment. The

Employment generated in other countries are- Poland 17%, China 12%

and in India around 8% (Lahiri & Samanta, 2010). So we see that the

contribution of retailing is high both to employment generation as well as

the GDP of several economies of the world.

Business Experiences

According to Sharit Bhowmik (2001), street vending is “a natural

market formed because of social needs”. According to National

Commission on Labour, street vendors are identified as self- employed

workers in the informal sector who offer their labour for selling goods and

11
services on the street without having any permanent built-up structure.

The National Policy For Urban Vendors define vendors as “ a person who

offers good services for sale to the public”.

According to Wight (2013), Ella Gascoigne is the owner of Startup PR,

a PR company for small businesses I would not be able to run Startup PR

as efficiently if I didn't work from home. The time and money I save allows

me to pass the benefits on to my clients. I can offer a more flexible and

affordable service which is key to my business success. Home working

helps me minimise distractions. There are no noisy colleagues, sales

calls, or unnecessary meetings, so I can focus on the task at hand and get

the productive things done quicker, to a higher standard. I can use tools

such as Skype, Dropbox and Google Calendars to collaborate with clients

and if it's necessary to meet, it's cheap and easy enough to just book a

meeting room in an office or a local hotel.

According to (Shaughnessy, 2017), Generally, a business is

considered as small based on its number of employees, annual income or

type of ownership. For example, in the U.S. business with less than $10

million revenue and less than 50 employees is considered as small

business (Christie & Brozovsky, 2010). In addition, the International

Accounting Standard Board (IASB) includes small businesses in its

definition of small medium-entities (SMEs). Small businesses play an

12
important role in strengthening a country’s economy (Headd, 2010).

Headd (2010) found that small businesses in the United States helped to

create two out of three jobs and contributed 39% of the country’s national

growth product. In China,99% of business entities are small and medium

enterprises (Liu, 2012). This shows how important small businesses to a

country economy construction.

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 CHAPTER 2

METHODOLOGY

Research Design

A qualitative phenomenological research was used in this study.

Qualitative design deals with data that is mainly verbal and obtains

meaning from the perspectives of the participants and also designs to

understand the daily’s lives of the people (Bless & Higson-Don, Del Vos,

1998). The qualitative approach is applicable for this study because the

data collected and used focuses on the participants’ own opinion of their

experiences on the process of disclosure and the way they interpret them.

A phenomenology is an approach to qualitative research that describes

the meaning of a lived experience of a phenomenon for several

individuals, which in this case is the lived experiences of the vendors in

selected bazaars. This qualitative approach is subjective and methodical

to emphasize the daily life experiences of an individual (Khan, 2014). This

study uses a phenomenological approach to human behavior and

experiences (Simon and Goes, 2011). The aim of such methods

attempted to set aside biases and presumptions about feelings, human

experience, and responses to a particular situation (Giorgi et, al, 1989).

1
Sampling Method

Convenience sampling also known as availability sampling is a specific

type of non-probability sampling method that relies on data collection from

population members who are conveniently available to participate in study

(John Dudovskiy). The researcher choose members who are acceptable

and qualified reaching the standard to be the respondent. The choosing of

members depends on their description and potential in relation to the

study that responds the research questions. Through this method, it is

easier for the researchers to choose the participants from different

Bazaars here at Davao City.

Participants

Hereafter the voluntary participants were distinguished, the participants

was invited by the researchers to voluntarily participate in the study.

Participants have exposed the information sheet and informed consent in

line with their right to decline participation. While the participants were

coincided in our informed consent, there were also made aware of their

right to pull out of taking part in the interview.

The researchers give assurance to the participants that they will keep

their information confidentiality; researchers were not commanded to

disclose their identifying details. Lastly, participants was showed off with

2
consent forms for their participation and for the audio tape recording that

they signed to give their consent.

The researchers chose 8 participants aged 21-35 who will voluntarily

give their consent to take part in in-depth interviews. These five

participants come only from Damosa Cube Bazaar.

Research Instruments

In this phenomenological study, the research questions were well

formulated by the researchers. The questions will undergo first with the

assessment and confirmation process, conducted by the validator Ms.

Marie Rizalie S. Lindo.

After the confirmation, the research questions will be pilot tested. The

instrument which will be exploited in this qualitative phenomenological

study is interview questions and will be recorded for the study purposes.

The questions are written and asked in English and the partaker can use

the language they were comfortable in order for them to willingly express

themselves without uncertainty.

Data Collection Method

The data were collected using the Focused Group Discussion (FGD). The

interviews were semi-structured. A semi-structured interview allows the

3
researchers to develop in-depth accounts of experiences and perception with

individuals. It is prepared ahead of time and it also engages supplementary

questions that were not written in the script throughout the actual interview.

The researchers has a paper-based interview guide that will follow. Therefore,

semi- structured interviews are often preceded by observation, informal and

unstructured interviewing in order to allow the researchers to develop a keen

understanding of the topic of interest necessary for developing relevant and

meaningful semi-structured questions. The interviews typically used

audiotaped, especially later transliteration for analysis.

According to Bernard (1988), is best used when you won't get more than

one chance to interview someone and when you will be sending several

interviewers out into the field to collect data.

According to P. Gill, K. Stewart, E. Treasure & B. Chadwick (2008),

Unstructured interviews are usually very time-consuming (often lasting

several hours) and can be difficult to manage, and to participate in, as the

lack of predetermined interview questions provides little guidance on what to

talk about.

Their use is, therefore, generally only considered where significant 'depth'

is required, or where virtually nothing is known about the subject area (or a

different perspective of a known subject area is required).

4
 Semi-structured interviews consist of several key questions that help to

define the areas to be explored, but also allows the interviewer or

interviewee to diverge in order to pursue an idea or response in more

detail. This interview format is used most frequently in healthcare, as it

provides participants with some guidance on what to talk about, which

many find helpful. The flexibility of this approach, particularly compared to

structured interviews, also allows for the discovery or elaboration of

information that is important to participants but may not have previously

been thought of as pertinent by the research team.

Data Analysis Method

Results were analyzed through thematic content analysis technique. It

is a technique for identifying, analyzing, organizing, describing, and

reporting themes found in the intervals knowledge set. The process that

are used are primarily designed to lessen and reason great quantities of

knowledge into an additional relevant unit for interpretation (Singleton,

1997).

Data:

The transcribed data was ceaseless browsed through the researchers

to be apprehensive of the information.

5
Searching for alternative Explanations:

As the Researchers are gathering data, broad data and information

were obtained, with this the Researchers are identifying and classifying

the ideas that can be essential to the studies. Alternative Explanations

were viewed and delineated until the Researchers obtained the most

appropriate and easy to understand explanations.

Generating Categories, Themes, and Structure:

This the part that the Research’s ingenuity and logical reasoning is

required. The Researcher then recognizes relevant themes, repeated

ideas and structure of belief, which associated with the unity of data. The

process of generating classification involved writing structure in the

Research participant. As the classification becomes extensive, the

Researcher then find for internally uniform but completely distinctive from

each other. Structure, themes, and classification were uncovered.

Testing Emergent Hypothesis

After collecting data sets and patterns will be evident, with this the

researcher will then test the gathered data against the developing

hypotheses to determine and show the credibility. This involved evaluating

the data for their informative, acceptability, reliability, usefulness and its

6
focus.

Trustworthiness of the Study

The researchers were confident that the result of this study was

reliable, as the eight (8) participants were legitimate businesswomen.

Upon interviewing the participants the researchers were aware of the

ethical considerations.

Participants were free to express themselves without the investigators

interrupting them. According to Lincoln and Guba (1985), it is the duty of

researchers to provide adequate contextual information and history to

demonstrate transferability regarding the research conducted.

Researchers are to provide a thick explanation for the transferability to be

present; a term coined by Geertz (1973) that implies that accurate pieces

of information are not the only thing to be seen in the study but also rich

explanations are interpretations. Investigators will provide information

detailed and enhanced on field observations.

Lincoln and Guba (1985) say that investigators need to use survey

audit to create reliability. Scientists will have an independent investigator

in this study that is not part of the research team that will evaluate and

examine the research process and its result or outcome (Lincoln and

Guba, 1985). The explanation of how the data were obtained throughout

the study, how the definitions prevailed, and how decisions were made

7
throughout the research by the outsider researcher. The purpose of

imposing this one is to assess how accurate the research is and to assess

whether the interpretation, conclusions, and findings in question are true

and accurate and are also supported by the data collected. Also great

interest was shown when asking questions when doing the interviews. The

researchers have ensured that any sort of information gathered in this

research is valid and is neither produced nor merely invented. Also, after

the researchers had transcribed their responses, the participants were

able to review and check everything and were asked to sign on the lower

right portion to prove that everything that was written is bona fida. The

researcher rest assured that the identities of the respondent would stay

confidential.

Ethical Considerations

After the participants verified their participation, the informed consent

was sought from them. The participants will be knowledgeable and

informed about the confidentiality of the study that implies their which must

not be affected and should be respected. The researcher had informed the

participants that the datas that they will give can only be read by the

researchers and supervisor. The participant were not also obliged to give

information that can give clue about their identification. After the

transcription the tapes were kept in a safe area that only the researchers

and supervisor knows. After the study has been completed, written reports

8
and tape recordings would be destroyed.

Role of the Researchers

The researchers will play an important role throughout the study since

they are the one who will take the responsibility to complete and find a

solution to the problem. The researcher will gather and analyze the data

that they gathered after the interview. Researchers will also provide robe

questions to be able to go deeper and coincide with the research

questions. The Researcher will transcribe and record the answers of the

participants to find the central subject of the phenomenological study

9
 CHAPTER 3

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

This chapter presents the findings and discussion based on the

data gathered. The presentation is organized in one section which

describes the lived experiences of vendors of selected clothing bazaars

in Davao City.

Lived Experiences of Vendors of Selected Clothing Bazaars

in Davao City

This section presents the three themes that emerged from the

interviews conducted by the researchers. The themes and subthemes

describe the lived experiences of vendors of selected clothing bazaars in

Davao City. Based on the interviews, three emergent themes were

reflected by the participants and these are as follows: (1) pains and gains

in selling products, (2) financial struggles, and (3) customer service. The

themes, subthemes, formulated meanings, and significant statements are

described sequentially as follows:

Pains and Gains in Selling Products. Based from the interviews

of the participants, several struggles and motivations were mentioned in

1
selling clothing products. These are as follows: (a) selling trending

products, (b) changing or returning of items, (c) fitting clothes, (d)

stressful working condition, (e) hard time in promoting products, (f)

diminishing supply, and (g) family role.

Selling Trending Products. One of the factors that the participants

considered in selling clothing products was its market value. They believe

that selling trending products attracts more customers, thereby increasing

their sales. One participant mentioned that selling something that is

trending can entice customers especially millennial individuals. She

mentioned:

Mostly you'll encounter is about trending items

nowadays. Like buyers are always looking for the
trending items. Of course, it is inevitable that they're
asking about your pricing so that's all based on
my observation. And also, mostly students are
visiting here so you should not sell something that is
old fashion so you should observe that millennials
are always going here because they want
something different. (Bloom)

Changing or Returning of Items. Another struggle that the

participants expressed during interview was the customer’s behavior of

changing or returning items. One participant urged that they do not

encourage this behavior. In fact, they do not give refund to customers

who return items; however, they allow the customers to change items.

She mentioned:

2
 There are customers who wants to change or return
their items that they buy but we are not allowing
them to ask for a refund we are only allowing the
change of item. (Kikay)

Fitting Clothes. To most of the participants, customers who are

just fitting and taking photos for the clothes they wear were sometimes

insulting. They had a negative attitude towards this unbecoming behavior

of the customers because they believed that the customers do not have

the interest to buy the clothes. One participant expressed:

Some costumers are just fitting. For example, they

are fitting some clothes and you don't know what they
are doing they just doing selfie and they fitted a lot of
clothes and when they return those it’s like
they don't have initiative that if you fitted something
you are obliged to arranged it properly because if you
are in my position you will feel pity to the seller
because sometimes it’s insulting to observe that they
are just fitting and they don’t have interest and just
laughing and doing mess. (Bloom)

Stressful Working Condition. Working in clothing bazaars was

perceived by one participant to be stressful. She expressed:

… like it so stressful and boring. (Out)

Hard Time in Promoting Products. One of the challenges that the

participants were facing is the advertisement of the products. They

expressed that they had difficulty in promoting products, which is

necessary to effectively connect with the potential customers. One

participant claimed:

3
 If the product is not known or trendy, we are having
a hard time topromote it to our customers. (Kier)

Diminishing Supply. The participants stated that they have

difficulty in maintaining the clothing supply level. This clothing supply

level pertains to the clothing stocks they are displaying in the bazaar.

One participant expressed:

Our problem is when we don’t have stocks. (Elyziana)

Family Role. One of the participants expressed that she had

difficulty in selling clothing products because of her overarching family

roles. She mentioned that she cannot work efficiently because she had to

take care her child who is still a toddler. She mentioned:

I can’t work efficiently because my daughter she’s

still a toddler, so its the most struggle for me
because I can’t work more than I wanted to, so the
schedule will be not that much. (BGS)

Financial Struggles. Another theme that emerged from the

interviews was financial struggle. The financial struggles mentioned by

the participants are as follows: (a) no sales, (b) no customers, (c)

fluctuating demand, (d) inadequate profit, (e) loan, and (f) low sales in

walk-in retails.

No Sales. One of the financial struggles that the participants urged

was the accumulated sales for the day. They explained that sometimes,

they experienced zero sales income for the day. One participant

mentioned:

4
 Oh, there are things that are most likely I can
experience zero sales in a day but in bazaar most
likely I should attract people. More in bazaars its just
by schedule only so its not all the time display so
people will grab it eventually and we have more
products to display for bazaar. (BGS)

No Customers. Another struggle that the participants expressed

during interview was the customer number. Sometimes, there were no

customers who visit their bazaars and it was worrisome for them because

they had a target income in order to sustain the business. One participant

mentioned:

Ah just, like right now, there are no customers and it

is making us worry if we can remit or not to our boss.
(Jianna)

Fluctuating Demand. To most of the participants, clothing bazaar

business is not exempted to the fluctuating nature of market system in

the Philiipines. They expressed that the demand is highly dependent on

the month in a year. They urged:

… if there will be no salary, no bidding, no occasion

and when clothes are not needed the struggle is
intense because no one rents. (Jol)

In business its always normal, its not all the time there
are months that are high sales there are days also
but especially most struggle months are January
since holidays are gone, uhm most likely after
enrollment, most likely May or June since summer are
gone and enrollments for students are gone also, so
mostly the parents doesn’t have any money to
purchase clothes. (BGS)

5
 … there is usually there will be slow rate of selling
and there will be high rate of selling of what would the
business go through. (Kikay)

Sometimes in sales. like it is not occasion month like

December. Like for now, normally the sales are low
because there is no occasion at all. Our sales are high
if there is an occasion like araw ng dabaw, kadayawan,
Christmas and new year because costumers have their
money even the students because their parents were
giving them money like "oh pag pasyal sa didto" so you
will not be worried if ever you have a lot of stocks
because you know that the items will be sold because
you know that there is an occasion. (Bloom)

Inadequate Profit. Profitability or the degree to which a business or

activity yields profit or financial gain was perceived by the participants to

be low sometimes in clothing bazaar business. One participant

expressed:

… when our profit is not that high then it is the time

that we should pay for our rent that's the time that we
are struggling. (Kier)

Loan. The vendors of clothing bazaars also ventured on loan

services from several lending corporations. They used the money to buy

clothing supply. One participant claimed:

… it just like the supplier it allows the reseller just like

us to borrow some product to sell then after a month
we will lend them the money that we borrow then after
that we get another some other stocks and just like
that vice versa. (Jol)

Low Sales in Walk-In Retails. The participants further identified

low sales in walk-in retails as one of the financial struggles in running a

6
clothing bazaar business. One participant expressed:

… it is difficult to just wait for the retail like here in our

side, aside that we are retailing, we also have online,
we have pick ups. The items that we are displaying
here, you can also see it in our online so some of
here sometimes are being sold in online rather then
here in our walk in. So, it is average. We are just
having problems when they are just waiting for the
walk-in retail. (Bloom)

Customer Service. Most of the respondents believed that

customer service or the provision of service to customers before, during

and after a purchase, should be mastered in the clothing bazaar

business in order to increase profits. Based from the interviews of the

participants, several subthemes emerged from customer service theme.

These are as follows: (a) controlling pride, (b) effective communication,

(c) staying humble, and (d) patience for customers.

Controlling Pride. One of the customer service skill the participants

mentioned is the ability to control pride during an encounter with irate

customers. They believe that the customers have varied attitudes and it

is the vendor’s duty to adjust in their attitudes. One participant

mentioned:

If you are selling, if you know that the costumer is

irate, as a seller you should be the one to lower your
pride. In other words, you should not raise your voice
to them because some of the costumer are asking for
the price, so sometimes you'll get irritated so you
should be the one to adjust because costumers have

7
 different attitude. Sometimes they feel that they are
rich enough so we should not mind that. It is okay that
we feel irritated to them because the most important
is we sold the item. (Bloom)

Effective Communication. Communication was mentioned as an

important aspect in clothing bazaar business, especially in selling. When

they encounter irate customers, they believed that the best way to handle

them is to explain to them calmly the concerns they intend to know. They

mentioned:

I'll just explain it in a right way that he should just

calm down and refrain on getting angry because it will
result in a fight. (Kier)

… just tell him/her to keep calm down then we will be

able to talk. (Out)

Staying Humble. An attitude of humility was also mentioned by

one participant as an important aspect in customer-vendor relations. She

urged:

… just be humble, do not mind them if they tell you

something because customers are always right if
other people might say but not anytime. (Kikay)

Patience for Customers. A higher tolerance of provocation without

responding in annoyance was a significant factor mentioned by the

participants during an encounter with irate customers. This was

perceived by the participants as an essential skill one should possess in

order to avoid further conflicts with the customers. One participant stated:

It only depends on how customers treat us but we

8
have a lot of patience for the customers that we are
able to encounter with, for example when they are
disarranging the clothes it is okay as a vendor that we
should re arrange those but if the customers
underestimate our stocks then maybe that's the time
that we have to react because selling and having a
business is not easy to negotiate with, even if it looks
like that but our capital for that is so expensive
hahahaha just have more patience. (Jol)

9
 CHAPTER 4

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Clothing bazaar is a permanently enclosed market place where the

costumer can buy an affordable clothes. Bazaars is a big buzz among the

people right now, so as a business entrepreneur many are wanting to try

this business. Knowing the experiences of the vendors in selling their

products can really help the young entrepreneurs to be aware of those

struggles that they might encounter. They can be much aware and

knowledgeable about what are the things that they may encounter when

they enter this kind of business and because of that they can be prepared

for it and can create some strategies and plans to surpass the struggle

and be much more successful. Having a lot of Entrepreneur succeeding in

this field can help our Social and Economic Development.

Many researchers have tried to discover the experiences of Bazaar

Vendors here in Davao, wanting to know what are the struggles that they

have encountered. According to this study, the following are the struggles

that the selected vendors have encountered: financial struggles, stocks,

10
irate costumers, etc. Their experiences has a big impact for those who

want to build up their own business because in this study, they will know

the solutions of those struggles that they encountered.

With this research, the researchers have found out that bazaar vendors

are continuing to develop their businesses aiming to be on the top this

business game. They are creating strategies and surpassing the struggles

that they are encountering in their business with a lot of effort and risk. To

create a lot of number of successful Bazaar Vendors the Researcher

recommend the following:

1. Optimize your space for the crowd

Don’t just put a table and lay out your products for display. Study the

floor plan and imagine how the traffic will flow into your area because the

customers want to shop in an area where they can be comfortable and

browse the products properly. Design your space in such a way that it can

easily be seen from the crowd. It also helps to be creative. Try to make

your booth look interesting and inviting. You will have a lot of competitors

around you, so standing out among them can give a big impact on your

business.

2. Greet, smile and entertain your customers in a friendly and unique way

11
 This one goes for you and all your staff. Be courteous and sincere with

your greetings. Shoppers are already accustomed to the noise of

monotonous scripts of salespeople in bazaars. Let your voice be heard by

calling out customers with unusual and unique invitations. You can have a

tag line about your store and Products for them to remember you.

3. Make sure everyone is knowledgeable about the products

Don’t you hate it when you ask details about a product and you get

blank expression or a confused look in return?

Prepare yourself and your sales team for possible questions that

buyers may ask about your wares. With you and your staff showing to

your customers the you know what are the things about your products can

make your customer trust you. They can think that they can buy what you

are selling because they know that you are hands on about getting your

stocks.

4. Market the benefits more than the price and the features

When convincing someone to make a purchase, highlight the benefits

that the customer will get if they own the product. Spell out a specific need

and explain how your product answers that problem. Simply, give them a

reason why they should buy the item. This the reason why you should

12
know what are your products because you need it to salestalk the

customers.

5. Mind your price and prepare for hagglers

One of the reasons why people go to bazaars is because it’s a great

place to get deals and discounts. So make sure that your items are

reasonably priced. But more importantly, give some allowance for

hagglers.

Furthermore, train yourself and your staff on how to handle haggling

situations.

6. Choose trendy products to Sell

As time goes by people are patronizing items that are trendy that

phase of time. As an Entrepreneur you should always be updated about

what are the known items that time for you to choose products that can be

sell. Minimize on buying products that your customers don't like at all

because it will just cause you financial trouble.

13
14
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8
 Lived Experiences of Vendors in Selected Clothing Bazaars in

Davao City: A Phenomenological Study

Main Questions Sub Questions Probing Questions

1. How do participants 1. What are your 1. Are you experiencing

perceive and describe struggles in selling your financial struggles?

their experiences in products?

selling products? 2. What are your

struggles in running your

business?

3. How do you overcome

those struggles?

4. How do you handle 2. What do you do when

irate customers? the customer bargain

even though your price

is already cheap?