33.8 C
Manila
Friday, March 29, 2024

Help! ‘Nabudol na naman ako!’

- Advertisement -

DURING this pandemic, it seems the only way we can entertain ourselves while working from home is to either stream movies and TV series (and we now have more streaming platform choices outside of Netflix), have Zoom parties although some of them are conducted on Webex (you know, like buying Colgate that’s actually Close-up?), or, yes, online shopping.

The first time I wrote about my friends’ best online purchases sometime last year, a thousand and more products have come on stream. And of course, many of us still fell for these products despite a number of them being perhaps useless, except for porma. Some, however, have turned out to be incredibly useful. (See “Something Like Life—Pandemic Purchases,” November 12, 2020.)

Our continued fascination with online shopping has facilitated the entry of the word budol into our local shopping lexicon, courtesy of our witty netizens. It is mainly inspired by the Budol-Budol gang, thieves who lure the gullible into transactions that either involve the victims giving up their life savings, precious goods in exchange for fake money, among others.

As such, when people say, “Na-budol na naman ako!” they basically mean they were lured into buying some products and goodies online, even though they may not actually need these. But the temptation can be difficult to ignore, especially when these are on sale. It used to mean an impulse buy, but everyone who buys online these days call their goodies “budol purchases.”

The online purchasing habit has become so common that even Tita Witty, the online punster and creator of notebooks, datebooks or diaries with funny or satirical comments, has been publishing memes on her Facebook page documenting our shopping behavior and even relationships with delivery riders.

In one hilarious meme, which I recently shared on social media, Tita Witty says, “Rest ka na. Alam kong busing-busy ka buong araw kaka-check ng status ng orders mo.”

And in another funny meme, she also says, “Tama na order. Hindi mo kailangan i-shoulder ang talent fee ni Alden sa Lazada,” referring to the popular GMA star who had been popping up in online ads, heralding the online shopping platform’s  recent 6.6 promo.

In this second edition of our pandemic purchases, I asked more friends to share their best budol treats so far:

  • Cirio Cinco (Creative Director, DNA 7/20). “My sister and I discovered BTS during the pandemic, and we quickly fell down that rabbit hole. So we’ve been buying those packages with their pictures, exclusive videos of their past concerts, etc. And we’ve been buying tickets to their online concerts. There’s one happening this Sunday to celebrate their 8th anniversary. Malala na kami. So na-BTS budol ako.”
  • Nikka Policarpio (COO, Dale Carnegie Philippines). “I recently bought Clinique’s anti-fatigue moisturizer at Lazada’s 6.6 sale. It came with a free full-sized facial cleanser and another freebie.”
  • Annie Ringor (Publicist, Bridges PR). I bought Young Living Essential Oils. Anything to do with purifying the air—and people tell me it is the best—I buy. I bought the entire kit plus extra oils that I am sure I will not use. I don’t even know if it works.”
  • Rayan Marty (cousin). “For myself, I don’t have any so far. I bought my bike pump a few months ago, but what arrived was damaged. But I recently purchased through Lazada Sanrio cards for Sofia as a moving-up gift; she just completed Grade 1. It’s been two weeks but it has yet to arrive. Na-budol ako. Disappointing lang because that’s the only thing she asked for.”
  • Stephen Paul Villamin (AVP, Pitchworks Inc.). “I bought resistance bands since our condo gym was closed and because there was so much idle time during the lockdown. It’s very useful in my routine given the number of exercise variations it can do. Best budol buy siya since it’s ideal for someone who has limited space and gym equipment.”
  • Monette Garcia Co (homemaker, dancer). “My sister Mary Anne lives in the US and she doesn’t cook at all, or just minimally. Then all of a sudden, she turns out paella, pochero and other dishes. I asked if she learned new cooking skills during the pandemic, but she said no. She has an Instant Pot. That’s what convinced me to get one for myself. Like yesterday, I made bulalo. I sautéed all the ingredients that needed to be sautéed like onions, etc. Then I put the meat in and switched on the pressure cooker function. I left it and it was cooked after an hour! It’s very convenient.”

So what’s your best budol purchase so far?

Image courtesy of Bruno Emmanuelle on Unsplash

Read full article on BusinessMirror

- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

Related Articles

- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

Latest Articles

- Advertisement -