Shopping can be funnn, especially when you have ‘plenty money’ to spend. If you don’t create a budget to stick to, it will result in binge-spending and your money would never be enough – no matter how much it is, it will just disappear before you can say ‘Jack’. For some, it will even still end in debt.
I devised a strategy when going shopping in the marketplace: I don’t dress expensively or the seller might just ‘size’ me up as someone who is very rich and can afford to pay more. Whenever I go shopping, I go to the market as an ‘averagely dressed’ person. This works most times because the sellers can sometimes be manipulative and dramatic, especially when they assume that you are a ‘big’ person. So I don’t get cheated or end up spending so much.
But it is funny (and annoying too) that it is when I am ‘too casual’ I get to meet people I know on the way. It is annoying that when you put so much effort into your dressing and look ‘glammed’ up, you don’t get to see familiar faces and nobody will recognize you. Haha, but that’s a topic for another day.
Now to the point; the marketplace is packed with different people with different missions and motives. We should not assume that everybody goes there to buy and sell. There are so many characters and people who, aside from your shopping, will give you free ‘comedy shows’. Some will fight, overprice goods and even insult the seller.
Let me highlight the different types of people you will find in the marketplace and please feel free to tell me what category you fall:
The Window Shoppers
These people have no intention of buying anything. They are just there to know the prices of commodities. Hopping from stall to stall, shop to shop, they ask the cost of goods and services. And off they go! These people are so easy to find; they are the ones that will price a commodity from 5,000 Naira to 700 Naira, knowing fully well that the seller will chase them away eventually (sometimes accompanied with hefty curses)
The ‘No Time’ Shoppers
They buy from their point of call – the very first seller they meet. They don’t have time to go around the market, comparing prices and standards of goods or commodities. They usually leave the market in a jiffy. They get there, get want they want and disappear. No time.
Prudent Shoppers
The prudent shoppers take their time. Unlike the ‘No time’ shopper, they go from stall to stall, comparing and bargaining prices of commodities, ensuring that they make the best bargain and get value for their money. These ones always come back with the best products because they had the patience to check for the best.
The ‘Lazy’ Shoppers
You are a lazy shopper if you prefer to send someone else to do your shopping for you. Sometimes, these people lie that they are not available. They usually cajole people to help them do ‘small’ shopping for them while using the opportunity to ask you to buy them the whole world. They also have errand boys and girls that can do their shopping for them.
Online Shoppers
They belong to the new school. They are conversant with the latest technologies. They have all the apps for online shopping. They do everything online from shopping to payment to delivery. They live in a fast-paced environment and cannot be tied to traditional methods. These types of shoppers cannot goan kill themselves. They sit in their houses and shop!
The ‘Forgetful’ Shoppers
They forget their list and end up not buying all they wanted to buy. They will then roam about the market trying to remember what they wrote on the list. In most cases, they buy the less important items and forget the important ones.
The ‘Sharp’ Shoppers
They have a programmed memory. They do not need any list. They have everything in their memory. They are so used to going to the market that they need not scribble down any list.
The ‘Mall’ Shoppers
For them, they prefer going to the mall to buy what they need instead of going to the market. They have the advantage of dodging the harsh weather condition – be it rain or sunshine. The only issue they may face is long queues during peak periods of sales.
The ‘Regretful’ Shoppers
Have you ever bought something, only to find better ones or fresher ones (especially perishable commodities)? Well, then you fall into this set of people. It is usually wise to ‘sample’ all corners of the markets to search for the best before buying.
The ‘Undecided’ Shoppers
They are usually indecisive. They do not how to choose what they want. Most times, they prefer going with someone more ‘experienced’ in shopping to help them in making their choice.
The ‘Persuaded’ Shoppers
These set of people enjoy being persuaded to buy stuff. If the seller does not beckon to them or persuade them, forget it, they would not be moved to buy anything.
The fighty-fighty shoppers
These ones will fight with all the market women (and men) before they eventually buy their goods. They will complain and nag and threaten to leave. When they discover that they have no other choice, they will end up buying the product while hurling insults at the seller.
Oya, don’t be shy. Which of these shoppers are you?