“How much is this basket of tomatoes?”, my mum asked the trader while she quickly stood up to attend to her.
“It's 5000 naira”, the trader said in our local dialect.
“What? That's too costly. Let me pay 2000 naira”, my mom replied without flinching.
My eyes quickly darted to my mom as I opened my mouth in shock.
The woman shook her head and told my mum her last price is 2,700 Naira. I watched quietly as they both bargained till my mum agreed to pay 2,500 Naira. The woman quickly helped us package it while my mom helped.
My mum also got other things as I was left in shock at her bargaining power. On our way back home, I couldn't help but ask.
“Mum! How!?”, she only smiled and told me she knew the prices beforehand. I couldn't wrap my head around that kind of bargain. But what do I know?
I was young, still in secondary school at the time and I sometimes went with my mom to the large market place during weekends but I still don't understand the art of bargaining.
I am not yet entrusted to buy foodstuffs of large quantities, only smaller ones with fixed prices and I only do that in the small market not too far from our house.
I remembered following my neighbor, a friend of my mom, to the market another time. My mom asked her to help her get something since the woman is also getting things from the market. I was told to go with her so as to help carry some of the load.
If I thought my mom could bargain, then I was in for a shock because that woman was ruthless with her bargaining power. She cut the prices like it was nothing while I was left with my mouth opening at every turn.
In some stalls, she would pretend to leave angrily while the trader would call her back after we had moved a few paces away.
After that day, I thought I had gotten the scope when it came to bargaining, “Divide the amount in half and only pay slightly a little more than half or even lesser”.
What I didn't realize is that some items cannot be priced that way. Some can only be bargained with only a few differences below the marked price.
I decided to test out my skill one day and the opportunity came one day when the garri we had at home was exhausted. It was during the school holidays.
I saw my dad dropping some money on the table and told my mom that she should get a paint bucket of garri, pending the time the person supplying them at his workplace would bring some. My dad usually buys a half bag and brings it home from work.
After having my breakfast, I went to do some house chores while my mom went out to see someone.
I took the money on the table and decided to take that opportunity to try out what I have learned about bargaining.
I quickly went to the market not too far from our house. The first shop I went to, the woman was very kind and polite.
I told her I needed a paint rubber of garri and she told me it was 600 Naira.
“What? No? It's too costly. Let me pay 300 Naira, I said as I took a scoop of garri into my mouth to taste it and it tasted good.
“It's a fine garri, my dear”. The woman said, trying to persuade me to buy it. “Okay pay 450 Naira. That's the last price I can sell it for”.
I shook my head. “It's 300 Naira I have ma”.
“No, my dear It can't be priced like that. I didn't even buy it for that price you are calling”. She explained but I thought she was trying to play a fast one on me.
“Let me go and buy it elsewhere”, I said, leaving her store with the hope that she would call me back as I had seen it play out when I went out with my mum and my neighbor.
I moved some paces away but the woman didn't call me back. I looked back and saw her doing something else. I crossed to the other side and quickly went to another store. She also sells the same goods as the previous woman.
I got to the store and I could see a woman sitting on a long bench, speaking angrily into her phone
I don't know who she was speaking with but my guess was that it's someone supplying her goods because I heard things about them not bringing the number of things she requested.
She dropped the call and hissed. “Why do you want to buy?”, she asked me.
“Garri ma”, I responded, “I need one paint bucket”.
“600 Naira”, she answered, looking at me from head to toe.
“Is it not 300 Naira?”, I asked.
“300 what? Why don't you come and carry the whole bag. Get out of my shop if you know you're not ready to buy anything”, she shouted and began flaring up. I quickly ran away. I could hear her raining insults on mebin local dialect but I didn't dare to turn back.
I quickly ran back to the previous woman and bought it for 450 Naira.
When I got back home, I took the garri I bought to the kitchen. My mom came in not long after and asked where I went.
I relayed all that happened to her and she laughed. She then took time to explain that some items can't be priced the way I thought and how the prices range in wholesale markets and retail markets.
After that day, she let me do some bargaining to help build my confidence and also understand the market prices better.