Our Clark Freeport Zone Duty Free Shopping Experience

I've been to Clark a couple of times but this last long weekend was the first time I tried shopping there. I was told that there are more duty free shops in Clark than in Subic. It's true and it's even more convenient because the duty free shops in Clark are almost close to each other. Still, you will need to have good shopping skills to find the best deals. The peso-dollar exchange rate varies between shops and it's best to not buy everything in one shop for each shop has its specialties.

Here is a list of the duty free shops we shopped at in Clark Freeport Zone:

Parkson Duty Free, Bldg. 4032 C.M. Recto Highway - A good place to buy inexpensive US-made groceries. My sis-in-law bought silicone baking pans which were on sale while I was able to buy... wait for it... a 100 pc. box of Band Aid strips for a dollar! It was so cheap and I'm always in need of Band Aid anyways. LOL! My husband was able to buy a pair of Crocs that were on sale (around Php 300) but I think it's not the real thing. I found the quality much like the Class A ones sold in Greenhills. There were also apparel and motorcycle gear (much like firstgear) sold in this place.

Clark Liberty Warehouse Club, Bldg. 5274 C.M. Recto Highway - SPAM here is sold at Php 91 so it gave me the impression that almost all the groceries in the store are sold at the same price as that of Robinsons and SM supermarkets. I did not go around anymore because of that. What's interesting, however, is that they sell nice pairs of Skechers and Converse shoes for teens all below a thousand bucks. The saleslady admitted that it's just Class A and not authentic so I did not buy a pair for my boy. Still, the quality would pass for the real thing.

Puregold Duty Free, P. Kalaw corner C.M. Recto Highway - Even when in Subic, Puregold Duty Free is our favorite duty free store. The peso-dollar exchange rate used here is the lowest among the three at Php 42.43 the day we shopped. This is the place where I bought chocolates and the groceries we needed. I was just surprised that, unlike the last time we shopped in Subic, we were asked to pay Php 20 per $20 purchase for taxes upon check-out. I don't know if this is a new policy for all Puregold Duty Free shops. It's still cheaper, though, even with the taxes.

Some of the items you'll see in duty free shops can also be found in major supermarkets and membership shopping centers in Manila. I recommend shopping here only as a side trip.

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