Hey guys, welcome to my blog.
This writing was inspired by the #inleo community and it is my response to the #decemberinleo day 5, feel free to participate.
Negotiation is a skill I work at in every trip to the market, aside from negotiating at the market I also negotiate at home with my husbands and kids to get what I want from them. Being a woman running a house, achieving the lowest prices for foodstuffs is an objective. It's not just about cost, but also about ensuring that my family is eating healthy and staying under budget.
Whenever I want to go to market, the very first thing I do is to write a list of everything I need and also estimate the price each of them are sold, I also ask my neighbors around who have to been to the market recently about prices then I know what to work with. Knowing exactly what I want helps me save unnecessary arguments with the vendors.
The moment I arrive at the market the negotiations begins. Sometimes I will want to buy something and the price the seller calls is not okay for me, what I do is simply smile and ask the seller to bring it down to my price, for example; if I want to buy a custard bucket of garri and the seller says it's three thousand naira, I just smile and ask is it not two thousand?
Although there are times that when seller calls an exorbitant price, I simply walk away to the next person sometimes I do that with annoyance but I later got to realize that it doesn't help, it just makes me waste unnecessary time at the market.
Understanding the seller is very important. There's a number of them genuinely trying, just as I am, and I see it in their expressions. Listening also plays a big role. I may just stand there and just listen to the reason why the price is high asked by the seller. Listening helps me decide whether their price is fair or if they are simply trying to gain extra profit.
Although sometimes the seller gives excuses that will either make you upset or you'll just laugh and ask, how it possible for such a thing. It also makes them feel I respect their struggle, which can work in my favor when I make my offer. Few days ago my mother-in-law came back and was explaining how she wanted to buy a bag of charcoal and she asked the price and the seller told her, she then asked the seller why the charcoal became so costly and the reply really got me laughing, the seller said and I quote "tree has finished in the bush that's why it's expensive 😂". I couldn't help but laugh till my stomach started to hurt, like how will tree finish in the bush.
Negotiating in the marketplace is not just about purchasing food; it is about social relationships and about getting to know the people. At the end of the day, I feel satisfied knowing I got what I needed at a price that worked for me. This is the real deal of negotiation for me as a market lady.