SARI-SARI stores across the country are tapping into the back-to-school rush, expanding inventories to offer “tingi,” or small quantities, of school supplies, a move driving significant sales spikes, according to Filipino tech startup Packworks.io.
An analysis of more than a million monthly transactions from Packworks’ network of over 300,000 sari-sari stores revealed that outlets near schools, those within a 400-meter radius or roughly 500 steps, grew by 31 percent from about 71,000 in 2023 to 95,000 in 2024.
As of June 2025, this number has climbed to 102,058.
From 2023 to 2024, the sharpest increases were recorded in rural areas, particularly Zamboanga Peninsula at 77 percent, Cordillera Administrative Region at 70 percent, Northern Mindanao at 55 percent, Eastern Visayas at 52 percent and Western Visayas at 50 percent.
Seasonal demand is proving lucrative. In 2023, sari-sari stores saw sales climb 30 percent in August, coinciding with the Aug. 29 school opening.
The following year, sales soared one hundred thirty percent in July ahead of the July 29 school start. For the current 2025 school year, sales jumped 71 percent in June, before classes opened on June 16.
Despite a nine percent rise in school supply transactions from 2023 to 2024, total gross merchandise value (GMV) dipped three percent to P1.31 million from P1.36 million.
Packworks chief data officer Andoy Montiel said this reflects more frequent but smaller purchases — proof that the “tingi” economy is extending into school supplies.
“The contradiction between higher transaction volumes and lower GMV shows how sari-sari stores are adapting their business models to fit community needs,” Montiel said.
WorldRemit data shows that education expenses, including supplies, account for over half of a typical Filipino household’s monthly income, making sari-sari stores’ accessible pricing and small-pack selling critical.
Between 2023 and 2024, the highest GMV growth came from Bicol Region at 381 percent, Northern Mindanao at 256 percent, Cagayan Valley at 120 percent, Western Visayas at 87 percent and Soccsksargen at 78 percent. In the first half of 2025 alone, GMV reached P795,000.
Packworks chief platform officer Hubert Yap said sari-sari store owners are “seizing seasonal opportunities, strategically adjusting inventories and ensuring that even amid disruptions such as the prolonged rain-induced class suspensions this year, educators, parents and students can still get what they need.”
Top-selling school supplies in 2023–2024 included pad paper and colored pencils (both up 74 percent), bond paper (up 71 percent), paper glue (up 28 percent), and correction tape (up 23 percent).
Yap added that the data can guide brands and education services in forging hyper-targeted partnerships with sari-sari stores to better serve local communities. / KOC