International:

In the residential areas the stores are mainly small eating places with meager stocks;
the store usually is merely an open, stall-like recess on the lower floor of the dwelling.
Nearly every block has one to for such stores, located on the corner of the crossroads,
with an occasional store in the middle of the block. The range of customers must be
limited to the immediate vicinity. Poor neighborhoods, even the most destitute groups of
squatters’ shacks, have a surprisingly large number of these stores. The Tondo and
San Nicolas Districts, north of the Pasig river and near Manila Bay, clearly illustrate this.
The most typical neighborhood shop is the sari-sari store. Sari-sari is a Tagalog word
roughly equivalent to our “miscellaneous.” Soft drinks from the principal stock in trade;
the remainder consists if a small amount of canned and other bottled goods, grains,
flour, and similar commercial products.
Within the residential areas of the Philippines, small stores are common. They are
usually stall-like placed on the lower floor of the dwelling, some are in the corner of the
crossroads, or maybe even in the middle of the block. These stores exist even in the
poorest neighborhood there is like the ones in Tondo, San Nicolas Districts, North of
Pasig River and near Manila Bay. The most typical neighborhood shop is the sari-sari
store. Sari-sari is a Tagalog word that closely means “miscellaneous”. They offer variety
of products like soft drinks, canned and bottled goods, grains, flour, and much more of
the basic needs.
McIntyre, W. (1955). The Retail Pattern of Manila. Geographical Review, 45(1), 66-80.
doi:10.2307/211730

Local:
Sari-sari stores have mushroomed practically everywhere in the Philippines. The only
places where they are hardly visible are in posh villages and subdivisions occupied by
the very rich families who purchase their supplies of convenience goods at
supermarkets. Evidently, the sari-sari store, is a phenomenon that is here to stay; and it
is one, if not the main, source of livelihood for a great number of Filipino families.
Sari-sari stores’ number continuously grows in the Philippines. They can be found easily
in every neighborhood except for places for the rich like posh villages and subdivisions
with residents who shop their supplies at supermarkets. Evidently, sari-sari store almost
reflect a normal Filipino community with the reason of it being one of the main source of
livelihood for a lot of families.
Sanchez, A. C.. (1991). Business Practices of Sari-Sari Stores. DLSU Business &
Economics Review, 4(1). Retrieved from http://ejournals.ph/form/cite.php?id=6284