BSoP announces price reduction; Supplies expected to stabilize
RAMOS, Tarlac — The Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSoP) announced, on Saturday, May 4, a new price structure for all merchandise of the National Scout Shop through a memorandum dated April 22, 2024.
Dated April 22, 2024, the National Office (NO) Memorandum No. 36 series of 2024 introduces “about five per cent existing selling price.” This supersedes NO Memorandum No. 54 series of 2018 that lists the prevailing price rates prior to the latest price change.
According to the memorandum, that took effect on May 1, this is in anticipation of the results of the recent procurement of Scouting items and the price was approved by the National Executive Board.
Stocks will be back to normal
BSoP Secretary-General Kim Robert de Leon shared the Facebook post of the organization, with a caption, “Stocks will stabilize soon!”
The National Scout Shop (NSS) of the BSoP has been dealing with stock shortage for more than a year and it is the first time since then that an official communication has been released regarding the normalization of Scouting uniform availability.
Due to this shortage, some Scouts resorted to purchasing counterfeited items while some were left with no choice but to buy overpriced items sold by unauthorized sellers on online platforms like Facebook groups, Shopee, and Lazada.
The BSoP calls for support of its stakeholders to only use and promote official NSS items.
“Availability of merchandise from the National Scout Shop will soon normalize and we enjoin the support of all stakeholders in the use and promotion of official NSS merchandise,” the memorandum read.
BSoP warns against unauthorized sellers
At the same time, the BSoP reiterates its notice for unauthorized sellers that it is against the law to sell and distribute without consent from the National Executive Board.
“Unauthorized selling and distribution of BSP merchandise without the consent of the National Executive Board is illegal and punishable by law,” the memorandum said.
BSoP was established through Commonwealth Act 111 amended by Republic Act (RA) 7278 as sui generis Government Owned and Controlled Corporation (GOCC) as classified by Government Commission for GOCCs Memorandum Order No. 2013-42.
Section 10 of RA 7278, “It shall be unlawful for any person to manufacture, sell or distribute or cause to be manufactured, sold or distributed fraudulently or without the official knowledge and written consent or permission of the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines badges, uniforms, insignia, or any other boy scout paraphernalia […]”
As of press time, there are different entities on both Lazada and Shopee that sell counterfeited Scouting uniforms and insignia priced higher than set by the NSS while some seem to be selling some genuine Scouting items.
Price comparison on online platforms
Accounts “Izkawt Online Store”, “Skawt JP Online Store”, “Grind and Hustle Apparel”, and “ArthaDGreat” sells on big online marketplace. Based on their listing, they are from Angeles City Pampanga; Tondo, Manila; Concepcion, Tarlac; and Metro Manila, respectively.
Here are some items that are being sold online compared to the old and new pricing structure.
| Item | Old Price* | New Price | Izkawt Online Store | Skawt JP Online Store | ArthaDGreat | Grind and Hustle Apparel |
| Senior Scout Rank Patch | Php 17.00 | Php 23.00 | Php 114.00 | Php 180.00 | Php 180.00 | Php 60.00 |
| Position Batch | Php 34.00 | Php 32.00 | Php 114.00 | – | Php 180.00 | Php 70.00 |
| Merit Badge | Php 12.00 | Php 13.00 | Php 49.00 | Php 49.00 | Php 40.00 | |
| Senior Scout Neckerchief | Php 102.00 | Php 97.00 | – | Php 170.00 | Php 150.00 | – |
*Old price of the BSP only represents what is stated in the memorandum released in 2018 and does not reflect price change in between two notices that have not been officially announced to the public.
The Boy Scouts of the Philippines’ campaign against counterfeiters and unauthorized sellers is a continuous effort being done by the organization.
Change in prices, more or less
The new pricing structure of NSS items released by the BSoP promised a five per cent reduction in prices compared to the previous selling price.
AMAPS tried to compare prices from all available materials including memorandum, Facebook posts, and previous transactions of our members from the NSS and we found out that some prices were reduced, but some also increased based on all available materials we found.
Here is a comparison of the new prices of NSS items compared with previous published rates and some prices based on transactions of our members with the NSS.
| Item | PRICE in PHP | Price change* | ||
| Nov. 15, 2018 – April 30, 2024 | May 1, 2024, onwards | Based on personal transaction | ||
| Council Strip | 17.00 | 23.00 | – | Increased (35.29%) |
| Numerals | 12.00 | 11.00 | – | Decreased (8.33%) |
| Philippine Flag Patch | 22.00 | 48.00 | – | Increased (118.18%) |
| Shoulder Loop | 57.00 | 54.00 | – | Decreased (11.11%) |
| Two beads (Imported) | 184.00 | 181.00 | – | Decreased (1.63%) |
| Rank Patch (Eagle) | 34.00 | 32.00 | 50.00 | Decreased (36%) |
| Gilwell Scarf | 917.00 | 871.00 | – | Decreased (5.02%) |
| Garter Tab | 45.00 | 79.00 | – | Increased (75.55%) |
*Percentage computed against personal transaction price experience.
Price reductions are notably seen consistent with basic Scouting uniforms like Type A polos, blouses, pants, as well as Scout neckerchiefs and Adult Neckerchiefs.
You can view the whole memorandum below.
This move of the BSoP is the first publicly announced change in prices of the NSS items since 2018 and the public positively welcomed the move from the organization.
Reception of the Scouting community
The Scouting community, particularly the Scouts, have positive reactions about the impact of the new price structure.
“I am impressed with the five per cent reduction of the NSS items. It shows that the BSP tried to reduce the financial burden of the Scouts,” Scout Christhalene from San Pedro Laguna said in a chat interview.
According to her, this will make the NSS more accessible to people with different socioeconomic backgrounds.
Scout JD from Laguna Council praised the move and believes that this memorandum will impact the reach of the NSS.
“With this new price structure, it is likely that it will positively benefit the customers by making the merchandise more affordable. Potentially, more customers/scouts would be interested in checking out the National Scout Shop, resulting in an increase in sales,” JD said.
Addressing socioeconomic disparities
According to Christhalene, the move of the BSoP is a “step towards creating an inclusive and equitable environment that values diversity and social justice.”
Most of the customers of the NSS are Scouts, students and out-of-school youth, who have no source of income but allowance and financial support from their parents.
Just like Christhalene, another Scout from Laguna Council, Leonard said that this will give more purchasing power to the Scouts.
“For me, the new price structure can affect the customers’ capabilities to buy merchandise for themselves, especially since most of our customers are students and cannot easily afford to buy at a higher price,” he said said.
Supply stabilization is most welcome
Stocks of the uniform have not been seen in a steady supply for more than past 12 months and an assurance coming from the BSoP and Secretary-General de Leon has been welcomed by the Scouts.
Christhalene said that it is encouraging to see some progress towards resolving the issues.
“It’s encouraging to see that some progress has been made towards addressing the supply issues that plagued the local market,” she said.
She also pointed out that a vigilant support from the community against further issues.
“[…] the situation remains delicate and susceptible to further disruptions, and there is a need for continue vigilance and proactive efforts to ensure that the supply meets the demand,” she added.
A problem in the Scouting community
The pandemic greatly affected the supply chain of the Scout shop and the sudden spike in demand when restrictions were slowly lifted resulted to scarcity.
Despite the shortage and the “out of stock” status of high-demand items from the NSS, genuine products of the same came in at Facebook marketplace being sold at extremely higher prices by certain group of individuals.
As stated in the earlier part of this report, the Scouting community welcomes this action of the BSoP. However, some shared concerns.
A Scout who agreed to be interviewed but declined to be named shared their sentiments that as a student, a real price reduction is a big help to Scouts like them.
“My mother and I have been trying to purchase Type A uniforms for the past months, but we cannot get one. We can not purchase from those who sell overpriced uniforms as we are on a tight budget,” they said.
They called the efforts of announcing the price reduction as a “good PR” to promote the reduction in prices but said that they are expecting actual discounts.
“After months of having a hard time buying [Scouting] uniforms, an actual discount on items is expected by us. This will ensure that what we are buying are worth it with convenience,” they added.
With reports from AC Obispo, Jessa Saz, and Ethan Peralta