Onions are now a precious commodity in the Philippines, with the staple ingredient’s price skyrocketing to 457 percent above the global average. The onion’s unlikely luxury status has led to trends such as onion wedding bouquets and giveaways. And now, it’s being used as payment, too.
Discount store Japan Home Centre announced that it was accepting onions as payment for its items in its Panay branch, to the amusement of its loyal customers.
“Sibuyas as payment! We are accepting cash, coins, and ONIONS as payment for our selected items,” the brand announced online, with one onion equivalent to one purchase.
The brand is doing this for good reason, though: all collected onions from their customers would be used in the community pantry, which distributes staple goods to members of their neighborhood.
But before you run to a branch nearest to you, hold up — Japan Home Centre emphasized that the promo applied only to their Panay branch in Quezon City. This means the rest of its branches will continue to only accept legal tender as payment.
While Japan Home Centre seems to be the first business to accept onions in kind, others have been using the pricey staple good as compensation. A woman whose car got dented by a vegetable farmer was paid in onions instead to make up for the damage.
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