I never really liked going to the market with my mother as a child. Not only would some of the market places be really crowded, but I often found her strategy for getting what she really wanted and striking good bargains to be very strenuous. What I didn't realise was that all she taught me and learned by watching her would help me years later. And I guess it pays off a lot nowadays.
When the price of things changes daily and there are just so many people waiting to rip you off your money out there, striking a really good bargain can be challenging, especially in a market you're not even regular in. I had to prepare myself in the best ways possible to get the best value for my money.
Usually, if I am going to need to be at the market to buy a new gadget that would likely cost me a lot of money, I would have already done a lot of research on the best product to buy. Then, I would search for that product online and get an idea what the best price could be. Many of the vendors usually put out exorbitant prices, so I usually hope that it would cost less going to the market and negotiating with the sellers in person.
When it comes to being in the market like Computer Village, being a very busy and crowded place, finding the right stores is often my first problem. That usually takes the most of my time as I would walk around and around, trying to find where I could get the best deals and perhaps other options if I am unable to find what I'm in search of.
Somehow, I found a good spot. I didn't find exactly what I came for, but something very close—perhaps even better. I went with a friend, and we had the same product in mind, so we were glad to had finally found where we believed was our last stop. Negotiating effectively would determine that, however.
Negotiating with sellers here can be a very intense psychological task. I had learnt some bargaining tactics, and so I pulled them on this negotiation. After going back and forth with some of the ideas I had, I made a good deal. It took a while, though, but I believed that I landed on a fair price—compared with my research prior, I mean. I was glad that happened, but I guess my friend was more surprised instead.
The entire purchase ended in a small altercation between us and the seller, interestingly. I don't think it was terrible, but we chose to be as stubborn as they were when we discovered we were getting something different. How stubborn he managed to become, I didn't quite understand until the end of everything, and then I relearnt a good lesson.
We had somehow given this particular seller the impression that he was the only one we could find what we wanted. It wasn't intentional, but we definitely would have played our cards better and perhaps paid a little less than we did when we discovered. A minor margin for error was fine anyway, as long as we weren't destroying our pockets for something that wasn't worth it.
In the end, I believe everyone was alright. Some of us got a little agitated at some point, but it's all part of it doing this kind of thing. Am I eager to do it again soon? Nope. Most definitely not. Surely, I'd visit the market and go through the stages of striking good deals if I have to, and most especially if my money is involved, but only when it's so necessary. The next I do, though, I'll make sure I don't forget the lesson I learnt today.
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