Since its buddy Shopwise lies so close beside it, and with several other smaller groceries in the area to compete with, the SM Supermarket succeeds in stepping up its grocery game to get people to shop there, despite its basement location and relatively smaller size than its bigger competitor.
For one thing, it *is* at the basement of the department store. After a demanding day of window shopping and trying on clothes just to put them back on the rack, you can actually end up doing something productive and take the escalator downstairs to do your groceries conveniently.
Sure, it may have a lower ceiling, be more modest in space, and have a less expansive selection, but its compactness may also be its advantage--if you like to do your shopping quick then it's easier to do at SM, where you will better know where everything is and spend less time getting lost in tall, lengthy racks of stuff.
They also have a lot of cashiers at either entrance and I find their centralized queues for smaller basket purchases a lot more efficient and effective. You can lose your mind waiting at individual cashiers! Never again will you switch lines and curse yourself when the line you switched to ends up taking longer than the one you left.
And if you get hungry, there are many food stalls a hop and a skip away in the basement lobby.
I will always love Shopwise, but sometimes you just need SM to get the job done. read more