One thing I have come to dislike hugely is the small local market with less competition between traders. You know, in that kind of market, there's always a limited option on goods, and because of that, the traders feel like they own the key to heaven — as if without them, you cannot buy anything.
I have a market which is walkable from my house, and I can see the traders from a spot where I usually take note of who is around before going to the market...this helps me to switch my preference on what type of food I want to prepare for the day.
One day, I checked and saw that the only woman who sells beef — the one that comes once in a blue moon — was around. So, I decided to go to the market to buy meat because, in that market, we usually do not get meat often.
"Customer! Customer, come na. I'm here today!" The meat seller hailed me as soon as she saw me approaching the line of traders.
We exchanged pleasantries and I switched straight to the reason that took me to the market because I was damn hungry and did not want to waste any time. I had just 2,000 naira with me to buy the meat, and when I pointed at a portion on the table that I felt could be sold for 2,000 naira, the woman said it was 6,000 naira.
"Madam, it’s this one, this one, this one!" I thought maybe she didn’t understand which one I pointed at earlier, so I did it again, raised the meat, and dropped it on the table.
"Yes, I know. This is sold for 6,000 naira. Oya, bring 5,500 naira," she said confidently, as if she was talking to someone who plucks money from a tree in the backyard.
"How can you say this meat is 6,000 naira? Is this not the size of meat I used to buy from you for 1,500 naira?" I asked in disbelief.
"1,500 what?" She didn’t even let me land before she fired back.
"Please go and buy fish because it’s obvious you don’t want to buy," she said, as she picked up her sachet of water, sat down, and began to sip it — with the mindset that she wasn’t seeing a customer standing there.
By that time, I didn’t know what to do again because she was already feeling like an assistant Jesus who had the key to my stomach.
"Okay, are you not going to sell for 2,000 naira?" I finally mentioned the amount I had, and she said — while squeezing her face — that I should go and buy fish and eat because I wasn’t ready to eat meat.
I stood there, confused and embarrassed at the same time. I wanted to eat meat, but my bargaining power had nothing on the chief meat seller. And worst of all, she didn’t even want to give me a listening ear, not even calming down to cut a portion that 2,000 naira could buy.
You see why I hate the market? If there were other contenders, she wouldn’t treat me like that.
Me too, I wasn’t ready to bargain again. I just sluggishly walked to the fish spot and tried to pull up my bargaining power, but the fish seller had seen and heard my dragging with the meat seller. She tightened her price as well and wasn’t ready to come down to my offer. I just bought the fish and left, and I know that after I had gone, they must have made me a full topic of discussion that day.
Thanks for reading.
This is my entry to
https://peakd.com/hive-115325/@comedyclubhouse/com-contest-winners-and-new-contest-oror-cc-wk11
Photo used is mine