I'm writing this post still bearing that huge smile on my face. There's no question about Cath Kidston making me the happiest. There are other reasons that made my trip to Cath Kidston more memorable. Prior to my visit, I was able to meet two of my favorite bloggers. Hi Mother E of The Pseudoshrink and Leah of The Bright Spot! Our brunch deserves a separate blog post. :) After our meeting in Vanilla Cupcake, Leah and her husband AJ dropped me off to the actual store. Nahihiya ako pero ang saya ko lang! As someone who rarely visits Makati and BGC, it would take a lot of effort to navigate directions. But Leah made everything easier for me. Thank you Leah, I will always remember your kindness. :)
To those who want to visit Cath Kidston in BGC via commute, you can take the BGC Bus that travels the East Route. Alight from the 30th Street or the 4th stop and walk towards the 9th Avenue or the Bonifacio High Street. An alternative is walking straight from Market Market to Serendra. Active Fun's building is approximately two blocks away from Serendra Park.
Since I live far away from BGC, visiting Cath Kidston is quite a hassle. Hence, I wasn't able to take advantage of their 20% discount on their opening week. In a way, this became a blessing because I was able to control my shopaholic hormones. :D So much of my introduction, i'll let the photos relate everything.
Since I live far away from BGC, visiting Cath Kidston is quite a hassle. Hence, I wasn't able to take advantage of their 20% discount on their opening week. In a way, this became a blessing because I was able to control my shopaholic hormones. :D So much of my introduction, i'll let the photos relate everything.
I'm finally here! I'm facing a real Cath Kidston store.
A home filled with Cath Kidston items, why not... minus the hefty price tag. Yes, prices are quite steep for some items. A mug costs Php 599 per piece?!?
Not for sale ;) but I'm loving even the interior design of the store
Buffet of wallets!
London Buses, one of my favorite Cath Kidston prints
Day bags!!!!
The classic book bags whose size and material I underestimated.The book bag is so big and sturdy.
And this overnight bag too.
There are a lot of beautiful items that made it in my wish list. Unfortunately, the price tag never fails to become the antagonist of my story. On the average, a bag would range from Php 2,500 to 5,000. If my estimates are correct, you can check the GBP prices on Cath Kidston's main site. Use the conversion rate of Php 76 and add roughly Php 500 to 800. Not bad, considering that shipping rate from UK would land around Php 1,500.
Not that I'm discouraging purchase from the local store, but the cost effective way to acquire a bag is through the online sale in UK. To dilute the hefty shipping fee, you can pool orders with friends and relatives. This is what Mother E, Leah and I have been and will continue to do. (Yes, the #CathKidstonSisterhood will continue despite the presence of a local branch.) The disadvantage of this, you are limited to the designs and styles. You are left with whatever collections are available for sale.
Since prices are quite steep for me, I limited my purchase to one bag ;)
My first Cath Kidston book bag :)
Hay, super haba ng comment ko tapos na-delete ko -- kainez.
ReplyDeleteThe bag is so pretty! Super inggit -- am turning greener and greener as I read your post. Magkakulay na kami ni Shrek. Bibili din ako ng katulad na CK bag in honor of the sisterhood. Had I realized my mistake sa flight ko, sumama na lang sana ako sa iyo. Haaaaaayyyy naku. Ang saya-saya ko pa naman nung mag-meet tayo. Na-bitter ako sa nagastos ko sa bagong ticket, pangbili na sana ng bag yun.
yay! finally...
ReplyDeletesabi ko nga sa Instagram, may isang batang masaya. :)
ReplyDeleteAng ganda ng book bag mo! Love the print! Gusto kong ayain ang asawa ko sa Cath Kidston BGC pagdating ng extra bonus namin, hehe. Pero parang manghihinayang ata ako sa presyo. We'll see... :)
ReplyDeleteThe bag you choose is new and unique. I mean, most Cath Kidston bags are floral so having a new design is refreshing to the eyes! Hehe. I love how to took photo of the shop and items; it gave me an idea which ones to eye for. Thank you also for the commute tip (where to alight) because I'm living from the south and would also take the BGC bus if I go there. Saves me from getting lost! :)
ReplyDeleteLouise ♥
Ang gaaanda. especially ung third item on your list :)
ReplyDeleteBelated Happy Birthday, Diane! Sabi ko na eh, dapat nakipag-pustahan ako na you will go home with a new bag hehe!
ReplyDeletePero buti na rin at hindi mo ako kasama. Ibang klase ang persuasive powers ko eh , baka hindi lang isang bag nabili mo hahaha!
Mygaaaaaaaaaaaasssss! I forgot your birthday! Happy birthday, dear Diane! May all your dreams come true. And best of health, of course! :) Mwah!
ReplyDeleteHi! How much is your Blue Book Bag? 😊
ReplyDeleteHi Joanne! Around Php 1500, forgot the exact price :)
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteHow much did you pay for online orders (shipping cost, customs, etc.)? I read on CK's website to anticipate customs fees. Baka naman kasi same amount din abutin versus buying it from the store here.
Hi! The standard shipping fee when ordering online from CK is £ 20. The mandatory customs inspection fee is Php 100.So approximately, you have to spare Php 1,500 for the shipping and customs fee. Quite expensive just for a bag. What we do to dilute or lessen the burden of these costs, we do group ordering. We wait for the much awaited sale and pool our orders in one shipping.
DeleteWhen do they normally have the biggest sale Diane?
DeleteHi Trinay! From the local stores here in PH, I'm not sure. If you will buy online, the best time to purchase is during the yearend sale. They also have midyear sale around June to August. Although upon checking their site, they have regular items on sale.
DeleteThanks Diane. The £20 shipping fee is regardless of the number of items? What's the most number of bags you (pooled) ordered online and how much did you pay for Customs? Wanted to try buying online but I think with 2 bags it's lugi, right?
DeleteYes it's a flat rate. However, I'm not sure if they had already revised it today.
DeleteI agree that for two bags, it's too steep to pay for a GBP 20 shipping fee. What I suggest pool orders with friends. Maybe 4 to 5 friends to maximise the shipping fee
Hi :) A friend told me that her sister had a dress worth 2500php ordered online and shipped from the US. It was sent to her via fedex and was asked to pay the "tax" of 2500 too :( I would like to purchase online but I am quite reluctant because of this experience. Can you confirm if I would not be charged a great deal amount of money if I opt to have it shipped to Manila? Your confirmation will definitely be helpful :) thanks!
ReplyDeleteIs this a Cath Kidston merchandise? That's so sad to hear.
DeleteIf you are talking about buying from Cath Kidston online, I suggest you pool order with friends or send it via Johnny Air. If you will have it send to your PH address, expect to pay the unpredictable customs fee. If you will opt for Johnny Air, you will escape the customs fee, but settle with the a little hefty shipping fee.
I have blogged my experiences about Johnny Air, POBox.Ph and recently LBC Shipping cart. Any of these can become an option for you. Check out my past posts, you search using key words on the search button above :)
I am planning to order from their UK online site,is it possible to use my local mastercard cc to purchase?Thanks..
ReplyDeleteHi Diana! My friends who attempted to purchase via Cath Kidston's UK site were experiencing problems. The locally issued credit card is always rejected. Not sure if they used mastercard as well.
DeleteHowever, I recently had a transaction using a locally issued mastercard. Luckily, my card was accepted and our orders were processed. Try it first, and hopefully your transaction will proceed.
Thank you..One more, have you tried ordering 5 bags in one shipping? I mean by paying £20?Was it shipped directly to your house or in your local post office?In my case, I live in the province (North Luzon),will it be sgipped if ever to our local post office?
ReplyDeleteAs far as I know, it's really a flat rate. I had to drop by the local post office to get the package. So that means, be ready for customs fee. I was just given that white paper or notice of package to be picked up at the post office
DeleteHi! Very nice blog. How was your experience buying from the UK website? Did you have to pay a lot for customs? Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHi! If I'm not mistaken, CK UK's shopping site implements a flat rate of GBP 20 for PH addresses. I have a friend who takes charge of pooling our orders. The package usually arrives at the Post Office as a registered mail / package. Recently, we took advantage of the increased in exemption of Custom's tax. Packages below Php 10,000 are exempted from customs fees. With this, we were able to accommodate more orders from friends. If you are worried with the fees, limit the amount of your transaction to Php 10,000.
DeleteAs for the speed of delivery, it usually takes a month and a half before our orders arrive in the post office. Worst case was 2 months after delivery was confirmed from UK. However, our last batch of order (June 2017) came as a surprise. With the same shipping fee of GBP 20, our orders were delivered by DHL. It came less than a month, with a door-to-door delivery.
Hope this helps
Hi ms diane! Your last order shipped by dhl with a door to door delivery, did they collect u for customs duties/taxes? If yes, may i ask how much? Thank you so much for ur reply :)
ReplyDeleteHi! Apologies for the late response. Yes last order was delivered by DHL. They did not anymore collect customs tax because my purchase was less than Php 10,000. I think this is the new policy imposed by the current government.
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