Teo Guan Lee Warehouse Sale (25th-31st August 2009)

Last week Friday, Mommy took a day’s leave from work after a very hectic schedule of keeping up with deadline to mark and submit exam marks. Guess where Mommy went to? Mommy went to the Teo Guan Lee Warehouse Sale to see what’s in store for baby and children items. This sale is in Taman Shamelin Perkasa, Cheras and Mommy went there via the Middle Ring Road 2. The sale is supposed to start at 10.30 am, but Mommy reached there at about 10.10 am and it was already opened. Parking-wise was a little difficult, but because Mommy’s car is small and it was still quite early, Mommy managed to get one.

There wasn't many people in the sale, probably because it was still quite early. The sale area was considerably big. Most of the items on sale are children and baby clothes and shoes/slippers and toiletries and other more minor sections are comforters and beddings, children toys, adult clothes and leather belts and wallets/purses.

Of course the section that interests Mommy most is the children and babies section. Some things are cheap, some are not - you have to choose wisely. Mommy also noticed that some really cheap items (for example Kiki Lala infant clothes selling for RM2) are no longer in good condition in that they have stains on them. Also, many items were not well price-tagged. Mommy saw many tags merely written as 'PW 03' with no mention of the price.....now what is that supposed to mean? As for payment, only cash term was accepted. But there's no queue for payment although there were also two cashier counters because not many people were buying anyway! Here are some snapshots of the sale:

Chicco bottle sterilizer - most of the boxes are already opened, but there's not price tag on the box...not even at the rack.




Kiki Lala baby clothes - can't find those at RM1 at all. Those RM2 ones are already in bad condition (stains).



Cuddles baby and toddler clothes - although the lowest price states RM3, however, the cheapest Mommy could find was RM8.


More of Cuddles baby and toddler clothes - again, Mommy can't find those at RM1, instead Mommy found those mostly at RM8.




More of Kiki Lala and Tom & Jerry items.

Pacifiers and pacifier chains selling for RM2 (Mommy can't remember what brand).




Puppy Winks canister wet wipes - RM5 per canister of 200 pieces of wet wipes - cheap!




Baby toiletries (can't remmember what brand) - RM1 for 120 mL bottle and RM2 for bigger bottle (can't remember the volume) - which is still not as cheap as the toiletries sold at Hytex.

Baby pillow and bolster sets and diaper bags.



More baby and toddler clothes. Mostly saw RM8 ones.



Popeye brand of children clothes.



Another Popeye boy's suit of T-shirt and bermuda for RM10 which is cheap, but Mommy dared not buy yet because it is going to be another 9 years before Juan Or can wear them. Maybe by then, the garters would have loosen already.

Kiki Lala pacifiers that come together with covers for RM1 each - cheap!



Kiki Lala toddler shoes selling for RM5 only - cheap! But Mommy didn't buy them because Juan Or already has enough toddler shoes bought at Hytex previously.



Girl slippers and clogs selling for RM5 per pair.



Ladybird brand of baby clothes gift set selling for RM35 but Mommy saw the original price tag was RM37.90. So this is definitely not cheap at all!

Children toys selling from RM3 to RM45. The toys don't look new and some are not in good condition.

Ladies' panty hose selling for RM1 per pack of 5 pairs - cheap! In fact, you get a pack of panty hose free if you purchase RM50 and above in a single receipt.

Comforters - the organizer did not indicate clearly whether the price shown is before or after discount of 80%, but Mommy doubts the price shown is before discount.

So what did Mommy get for Juan Or this time? Nothing much because most things like clothes and toddler shoes are already in sufficient supply for him. This is what Mommy got for Juan Or:

A set of rubbery toys-cum stackable cups that can double as chewy items for Juan Or, RM1 for all three pieces.

Kiki Lala shoes for children about age 5-6 years old for RM5. This pair of shoes has very thick soles and deep markings for good grip.

Popeye shoes for RM10 meant for children of approximately 7-8 years old. Again, the soles look thick and has deep marks for good grip.

My Dear Warehouse Sale (25th June - 5th July 2009)

Mommy went to the My Dear Warehouse Sale again (the last time was here) to see what's in store this time and also if possible, to look for a rocking horse for Juan Or. This warehouse sale is situated at Taman Meranti Jaya Industrial Area, somewhere deep in Puchong. Because it's an industrial area, the parking is free, but depends on your luck - if there's vacant parking, then you get to park. However, overall, it is not a busy area.

Upon reaching there, there were basically 3 sections to the warehouse sale: one is a third-party seller getting a 'lift' from My Dear company, the second are the My Dear items put outside their shop building (but under the canopy, of course) selling smaller items (e.g., baby bedding, spring cot, baby carrier) and display units of bulk items (e.g. display units of baby walkers, tricycles), and third are the My Dear bulk items displayed inside their shop building (these are brand new units and not display units). Mommy will review each section in as much as what Mommy can remember:

1. The third-party seller's section

This third-party seller sells toys, baby/toddler clothes, Bumbo chairs, baby toiletries, baby gift packs and baby souvenir items. Overall, the things in this section are not cheap at all, so Mommy didn't pay much attention to this section. For example, a toddler boy's suit set costs something like RM13.90. Other examples are like in the photos below:

(Baby rompers selling for RM15 per piece!? Got to be kidding! RM15 is still expensive! The worst part is that the seller purposely 'cancels off' the RM20, instead put RM15 - as if the discount is genuine!)

(Top shelf are Bumbo chairs, selling for RM145 each [normal price is RM199 or RM200]. Bottom shelf are baby clothes gift packs, each box selling for RM25.)

(Baby toiletries, each at 500 mL selling for RM21 or RM24 per bottle, depending on whether it's baby shampoo or baby bath or baby lotion. Mommy thinks the prices are exorbitant!)

2. My Dear's outside (canopy) section

Basically, the prices did not differ from the last warehouse sale's price. The baby items under the canopy are largely categorized as brand new items and display units (i.e., those recalled from displays in supermarkets). Here are some of the prices (or price ranges) that Mommy remembered:

• Baby bedding and mattresses: RM30, RM75, RM104
• Spring cot frame: RM83-RM130
• Hammock (the sarong): RM10
• Mosquito net for the hammock, with zip: RM15
• Playgym: RM55, RM70
• Clip-on fan: RM15
• Baby pillow: RM2 - very cheap!
• Baby bolster: RM3 - very cheap!
• Baby walker (basic type): RM20 (display units)
• Baby walker (with electronic press buttons): RM40 (display units)
• Display units of tricycles: (No price tag)
• Display units of electric baby motorcycles/cars: RM100, others had no price tag

Here are some photos of other items under the canopy:

(Baby changing table with the baby 'seat' for RM80, display unit.)

(Cloth type of baby car seat which is put over the adult car seat, selling for RM46. Mommy thinks this is very expensive for a warehouse sale because Mommy saw a similar one sold in Hytex Warehouse Sale for RM15 only!)

(Moses baskets selling for RM10 each, which is very cheap, probably are display units.)

(Cushiony type of baby carriers, selling for RM53 or RM50-something, depending on design. However, those simple types of baby carriers are selling for RM19.)

(Moses basket with the standing frame plus the frills for RM200 or RM300 - can't see clearly.)

3. My Dear brand new bulk items (inside the building)

Here's how it looks like when Mommy stepped in.

(On the left side are mostly baby walkers, stroller, rocking animals and tolo cars, the right side are huge items like slides and swings, and the middle section are baby cots, playpens, tricycles, bicycles and electric cars.)

(Simple type of safety gate selling for RM91, the more sophisticated gate for RM173 and extension bar set for RM26.)

(The simplest high chair sold in My Dear, selling for RM68 if Mommy did not remember wrongly, other more sophisticated ones selling for RM80+ or RM100 or RM100+.)

(If Mommy didn't remember wrongly, the price was RM173.)

(If Mommy didn't remember wrongly, the price was RM300 where the bottom cushion part feels smoother.)

(Mommy spotted this boy sitting on the electric buggy, not wanting to leave despite his parents pestering him to come out. This kind of cars are selling for RM200 plus and above. Mommy saw one children go-kart car sellling for RM190.)

What you see in the photos are just some of the bulk items Mommy saw. Actually there were more varieties than what you see in the photos. For example the car seats, there were several designs available. Other things sold in this section:

• Tricycles: RM29-RM98
• Police motorbike (electric): RM100
• 'Tricycles' that have detachable small wheels: RM100
• Playpen: RM150
• Infant car seat basket: RM78
• Infant car seat basket with swing base: RM128
• Infant car seat: RM104
• Baby monitor set: RM160
• Safety locks for cabinets: RM6, RM10, RM12, RM20
• Potty in the shape of a kiddy chair with backrest: RM39
• Baby walkers (sophisticated designs): RM50 to RM90-something
• Baby cot package (with bedding set): RM400-something

So, did Mommy find any rocking horse for Juan Or? Yes, there were 2 types: first was the one with furry animal body (RM75) and the other one was all-plastic body (RM60). For the all-plastic body type, it came in 2 designs: giraffe (yellow body) and horse (white body). So Mommy chose the rocking giraffe because Mommy didn't like the horse to be white in colour because soon it would become dirty white. Also, Mommy didn't like the furry animal type because the fur collects dust easily and cannot be washed. The rocking giraffe is actually a 2-in-1 in that it has the rocking function and the wheels function. The original price showed RM79.90. Mommy also recalled seeing similar rocking horse in Giant selling for RM79.90 and to date, Mommy has never seen the rocking horse at sale price.

(Here's the collection bay area after Mommy had paid for the rocking giraffe at the cashier counter. However, credit card is only allowed for transactions worth RM100 and above.)

(This is the rocking giraffe that Mommy bought for RM60. It's still in the box - will get Papa to put it together this weekend and let Juan Or rock on it!)

Actually, when Mommy was making up the mind whether to buy the rocking giraffe or not, Mommy managed to have a short chat with a tall and burly Chinese man wearing My Dear's staff T-shirt. From the conversation, Mommy reckoned probably he is one of My Dear's 'top people'. He mentioned that My Dear products can never be found in hypermarkets because My Dear does not want to succumb to hypermarkets' pressure to lower their prices. He particularly mentioned that in the past, My Dear only had one experience with Tesco and that Tesco 'forced' them to push their prices down, so My Dear got scared already. He said that if you deal with Tesco, in the end, Tesco will control you. So what does that mean to end-users like Mommy? Obviously, who controls who in the end is not the end-user's problem, but what it implies is that My Dear products are highly unlikely to go super-cheap unlike some baby products you see on offer in hypermarkets. He also mentioned that most My Dear products are sourced from China and Taiwan (i.e., they pay the China or Taiwan company to manufacture and put the My Dear brand name) except for few items that My Dear manufacture by themselves. Self-manufactured items, as far as Mommy can remember, are spring cot frame and one model of toddler car seat. He did mention a few other self-manufactured items, but Mommy can't remember.

By the way, My Dear holds lucky draws three times in a day - 11am, 3pm and 6 pm. For each session, there will be 5 draws. No purchase is needed. All you have to do is just to request for the lucky draw slip from their staff to fill in your name and be qualified for the draw. However, Mommy's name was not picked.

What's Mommy's conclusion about this sale? Well, choose wisely because not all things are cheap, but not all things are expensive too. But then, in this warehouse sale, there are more things expensive than cheap. So better be prepared with knowledge of the market price or store sale prices first to know whether you are getting a good deal or not.

More Things for Juan Or at the Hytex Warehouse Sale (30th May - 7th June 2009)

Last week, Mommy had the chance to drive to Kepong for the Hytex Warehouse Sale. Mommy used the Middle Ring Road 2 (no toll, no traffic lights!) to reach the Hytex factory in the Taman Ehsan Industrial Area. Previously Mommy went to the Hytex sale in December 2007 and ended up with a good number of infant clothes at a cheap price and a Tenderly stroller for RM100. The main attraction about Hytex is that you can get Disney and Looney Tunes infant/toddler clothes and some baby accessories and consumables for a cheap price.

(The banner at the entrance of the Hytex factory.)

Parking-wise was easy. Mommy easily found parking at the side of the road leading to the factory. There was no much people when Mommy arrived there. The sale area was partially in open-air, so it was basically warm but not too hot. When you come in from the factory entrance, baby/toddler items were on the right whereas teenager/adult apparels were on your left.

(A snapshot of the baby/toddler sale area.)

What about the baby/toddler things sold there? Here's a list of what Mommy saw and remembered:

• Bib RM1, RM3 (depending on design)
• Winnie the Pooh toddler T-shirts (with and without sleeves) RM5
• Winnie the Pooh toddler short/bermuda pants RM5
• Toddler boys/girls underwear, 2 pieces for RM5
• Infant shorts RM3 (unfortunately Mommy can't see any infant tops this time)
• A set of mittens, booties and hat, RM5
• Infant shoes, RM5
• Toddler shoes/sandles, both Looney Tunes and Tenderly brands RM5, RM8, RM10, RM18, depending on design
• Children shoes, Mickey Mouse, RM15, RM25 depending on types/design
• Potty with wide base, RM3
• Powder puff container RM3
• Looney Tunes baby wipes, 2 packs x 80 pcs. per pack, RM5 (manufacturing year 2006)
• Tenderly baby wipes, 30 pcs. per pack, RM1 (manufacturing year 2006)
• Hippopotamus bath toy set, RM3
• Toddler shorts, RM1 (cloth is thin and comfortable, good for both housewear and outings)
• Bottle brush, RM3 (good quality bristles)
• Non-spill sippy cup RM5
• Baby bolster cover RM1
• Baby Looney Tunes teats for wide neck baby bottles, 2 pcs. per pack, RM1
• Wide neck baby bottle 4 oz, RM5
• Looney Tunes socks, toddler and children sizes RM3
• Infant socks, RM3
• Tenderly baby toiletries, RM3 for every 2 bottles of 200 mL each (manufacturing year 2004)
• Baby car seat (the cloth type that you slot over the adult car seat) RM15
• Tenderly playpen RM120
• Tenderly stroller RM120
• Tenderly baby buggy RM100
• Mickey Mouse children Japanese rubber slippers RM3 (mostly girl designs)
• Mickey Mouse T-shirts (ages 4 and above) RM8
• Checked Winnie the Pooh shorts (ages 4 and above) RM3
• Toddler jacket with and without hood (RM15)
• Children jeans (didn't remember the price)

• Baby comforter set (consists of a comforter, a pillow and either one or two bolsters) RM20

• Looney Tunes baby pillow RM5

How about Mommy's yield? Here they are:

(Baby Looney Tunes non-spill sippy cup, RM5)

(Left: Baby Looney Tunes teats for wide neck baby bottles, XL size, 2 pcs. for RM1. Mommy found only 1 pack of XL size. The rest were L size to which Mommy felt the hole was too small for Juan Or's age. Mommy even tried fitting these teats onto the Avent bottle and they fit perfectly! Yay! A cheap alternative to buying Avent teats which can be quite costly! Right: Tenderly wet tissues, 30 pcs. for RM1)






(Each T-shirt for RM5. The price tag showed the original price of RM15.90. Nowadays Mommy prefers to buy sleeveless T-shirts for Juan Or considering that the weather has been very hot these days. By the way, Mommy straightaway bought as age 3 size so that Juan Or can wear them for a long, long time.)





(Each T-shirt for RM5. The price tage showed an original price of RM15.90. Both T-shirts are of age 3 size and is suitable for both housewear and outings.)

(Toddler shorts, each for RM1. The material is thin and comfy, suitable for both housewear and outings.)

(Another T-shirt that Mommy bought for RM5, age 2 size [Juan Or is 12+ months old]. The T-shirt looks good on him. Mommy bought his toddler dark blue shorts for RM1 only. The cloth of the shorts is thin and comfortable, suitable for both housewear and outings. Notice that Juan Or's cheek is puffier and his arm looks chunkier as a result of solidly on PediaSure milk diet.)



(Front-most is toddler socks and the rest are children socks, Looney Tunes design, each pair for RM3.)







(Toddler shoes - the dark brown pair is size 6 for RM8, the dark blue pair is size 5 for RM8 and the beige pair is size 4 for RM5.)












(Tenderly baby bath, 2 bottles for RM3, 200 mL per bottle. Only 11 bottles were left when Mommy saw them. So Mommy grabbed 10 bottles!).












(Bottle brush set for RM3. Mommy felt the texture of the bristles and they are of good quality. So Mommy grabbed 2 sets, one for own use and another for the babysitter.)





(Tenderly potty at RM3. It has a wide base so that it won't topple unlike the traditional type of potty. Mommy grabbed 2 units, one for own use and another to be put at the babysitter's place.)


How does this sale fare compared to the one Mommy went to in December 2007? Certain items remained same the price (Winnie the Pooh T-shirts and shorts, checked design Winnie the Pooh shorts, infant clothes, toddler/children socks), certain items went up in price (stroller, baby buggy, playpen, T-shirts for children ages 4 and above) and certain items went down in price (hippopotamus bath toy set, Looney Tunes baby wipes 2 packs x 80 pcs/pack, toddler shoes, baby toiletries). Quite a large number of items have not been seen before in previous sale. By the way, this warehouse sale only accepts cash term, has only one paying counter, but has no traffic-jam when paying for the goods.