Bargain defeat....CCH #10

As as s”Today is going to be a great day” was a popular mantra I recited each morning after my morning devotion. The second one is ”I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. These sayings have become a part of me so much so that I act them out.

That day was no different, I woke up feeling like Bahubali and wonder woman together. Who would have known that I would meet an obstacle that would defeat me and of all places— the market.

I had just been paid my salary and I was in the mood to go buy some foodstuffs from the local market around my area. I was deeply craving yams like a seven month pregnant woman and so I decided to go to the market myself.

Before then, I always went to the market with my mum taking the lead. I would just tag along as a silent onserver and no doubt, my mom was always the winner in any price bargaining battle. I recall sometime back when we both went to the market. At the meat stall, my mum priced down a chunky size of meat from 3,500 naira to #1,500….unbelievable.

The meat seller was like ”madam no na, this meat is more than that price” but my mum just looked at the meat like it was inconsequential and walked away. She had barely taken up to five steps when the meat seller called her back. ”Oya madam, come pay money”.

I was glad that at least that the meat seller had finally agreed but my mum shocked me some more. She went back picked the meat, asked him to cut it and finally gave him 1,200 naira. The meat seller was dumbfounded as he collected the money half-heartedly.

That scenario will never leave my memory in a hurry because I have been applying same tactics when buying foodstuffs at the market and never lost but on this very day, my luck ran out. Since I wanted to get yams, I went to the yam section and used my eyes to scan the traders, looking for one that would be gentle enough to bargain with. One thing you must know about local market traders is that they won't hesitate to insult your ancestors if you bargain anyhow with them.

Knowing this, I try to avoid bargaining so much on certain goods. So, while I was scanning the yam sellers, my eyes fell on a fair skinned woman who didn't seem too elderly. I was like ”God thank you o” in my mind. I walked up to her stall, selected about four yams by weighing them with my hands, then I asked her for the price.

She said the price of the yam was 1,500 naira. ”Madam, na for all the yam or for one yam?” I asked her in pidgin English. She smiled at me revealing a set of open teeth. I smiled back but the smile was not smiling at all. This woman wants to bore hole in my pocket.

”Fine aunty, na the price of one yam I tell you so”, she replied and then, I put on my bargaining cap, ready to battle it out but it seems like she knew because she was well prepared.

”Madam give me for 800 naira per yam now?” I began. ”Fine sister, e be like say you no know wetin market dey talk. Oya, I go sell am 1,000 naira last price. No more, no less”, she concluded and went about doing some other stuff inside her stall. I could tell from her vibes that she didn't have my time and so I paid for the yams.

A total of #4,000 and in my mind, I was feeling funky. Afterall I had beat the price from 6,000 naira to 4000 naira in total. I was all smiles as I quickly went to get other ingredients which I would use to make egg sauce to accompany the yams into the great beyonds of my stomach.

I arrived home and brought out the yams in front of my house, smiling sheepishly like a teenager who just saw her crush but the disappointment that was to slap me in the face came when my neighbour, mama Caro walked past my flat and saw the yams.

”Aunty Bee, you go market?”

”Yes o, I just dey come back”.

”How much you come buy these yams na. The yams try o”, she inquired and I with my full chest replied ”Na 4,000 naira I pay”.

”Chai, them don cheat you na. The price no suppose pass 3,000 naira. I buy yam yesterday na and it was bigger than these ones for that price”, she replied. To prove her point, she called out to her youngest child to bring one piece of yam that she bought and when I saw the yam, I knew without anyone telling me that I had been defeated in my bargaining battle.

Till date, I still don't know how to buy yams. I would rather ask people to help me buy it than face such a bargain defeat again.

Thanks for reading.

Images used are mine.