#WeekendBants…Share your market/shopping tips and tricks

This post was written on Saturday morning June 20. Haven’t had time to edit and publish since then…So now I am spicing it up now, mixing old and new gist…

Weekend blessings guys.

Good week? Great? Hectic? Just there? Whatever the case, we thank Baba God for weekend especially for the ‘Onises’. Had a great week myself. My tummy tasted junk (pizza) after a long time and even me knew I had missed exciting food. Plus this unhealthy yoghurt lol.

But this kimk bod must come back. Next step, I am registering in the gym next week, Yaaaay. Make I dey gather the money lol

I miss work sha. But lemme not lie, I am grateful for the sleep-ins I can have in the morning because the gods of sleep have decided that no matter how much I TRY to sleep during the day, e nor go work. Plus i sleep so late every night catching up on my life while my booboo sleeps. So I am thankful for late mornings especially as I hardly ever sleep before 12midnight and I think my #ChocolataRoyal is becoming just like his mama.

Yesterday was day 1 of 3 nights in the secret place. Mehnnnnnnnnnn, we prayeeeeedddddd up!!! I mean, I was wondering where time went. The prayer sessions were amazing and Minister Amaka who kicked it off just read the scriptures I needed to hear. I caught MY WORD from the get go. Every single woman who led a prayer session was ON POINT kai. I also loved Minister Diche (Yup, our FAB lane Dentist) who took the prayers for fruit of the womb. She took us through scriptures that just showed that on every side, God has got us covered. One of the biggest requests I had for the night was interceding for some of my people with nonsense Doctors report on pregnancy and all. I was particularly angry in my spirit especially as the Reports don’t stop coming. Doctors always have a new and BIG name for err’thing UGH!!! Anyways, God punish devil!!! HE cucu told us that HE will be dealing with seemingly impossible deader-than-dead situations so NO SHAKING!!! As I saw Pastor M and her big tummy, I was just seeing my friends with their big tummy and babies too, Hallelujah!!! Then the Guest Minister for the night, Babz Carpenter, e be like say make I carry am dey go house continue the worship!!! Forget ooo, some people are anointed. I especially LOVED when he said ‘What word do you say the THE ONE who is THE WORD Himself??? At that point, what just kept ringing in my spirit was ‘He created and sustained EVERYTHING we see today with WORDS!!! Just how powerful is this God biko nu??? What else can we do but just WORSHIP!!!!!!!!!???? It is such a privilege walahi…

Btw, Pastor M was resplendent *side eyes at lizzy* big tummy and all.

I also loved the various tees.

Will find out today if they made small sizes of the baby tees for my Chocolata Royal.

The rest of the days were something else.

Can’t wait for the testimonies next year mehn!!!

Ok before I fill up Weekend banter with #3NITSP, let’s talk Market gist.

I am one of those people who know how to get the best deals and all in the market. You can hardly cheat me ooo and on those rare occasions when I am cheated or my hands are tied and I have to pay higher for something, e dey pepper me ooo. So what and what do I do?

First off, I try not to be in a hurry when I am doing major shopping, You go just buy rubbish and also pay rubbish price too. So I usually PLAN and CREATE time to shop before I shop

Most times, when I have no idea of the price of something, I hardly buy from the first shop. The first shop just gives me an idea and wham, I enter the next shop and beat that price dowwwwnnnnnn e.g. I had to buy a Play mat recently and the first shop had told me 7k last for the biggest size.

I left and in the next shop, I started from 4k and very confidently too.

Last last, I got it for 5k and that was the best deal in the market.

Because I am not shopping in a hurry, I have the luxury of time.

Then if I know say fake full market and I can’t tell the difference, when I go in, I ask for the fake one FIRST. E.g. Iman powder. The fake and the original are practically same so crooks can sell you the fake for 4/5k instead of 1k/1500 and because it is sealed, you won’t know until you reach house, open am and start to use. So when I have asked for the fake, I will now ask for the original.

That way, I am sure I haven’t been sold a dummy. Most times, they put the original one ‘inside’ lol.

In the market too, I hardly speak correct English. My pidgin game is not as tight but e better pass rolling with Queens English abeg which brings you Queen’s price err’where you go. Recently, had to do some bargaining over the phone and I just ‘toned down’ on all the grammer lol. When the person finally met me to render the service, she sef shock. Like is this the same lady I spoke to over the phone lol.

Another tactic that has never failed me in BIG markets e.g. Lagos island is to pretend I am not Igbo when the sellers are Igbo. If you speak Igbo to me, I draw a blank. Usually, usually the guys start communicating in Igbo amongst themselves and then the real prices start to drop from their mouths plus some other vital information on the stuffs you are buying so you price along those lines. This one is one of my biggest Lagos Island strategies cos tz full of Igbos.

Then another thing I tell myself is that no be only one dey market. It is easy for one to think that (and for the sales person to tell you that) you may NOT see what you are looking for again if you leave that shop but trust me, most times, more than one person has it if you are patient enough. And sometimes, you even see better for cheaper. Happens a lot with me when I wanna buy shoes.

Because my feet are big, tz easy to feel ‘Oh you may not see something quite as pretty in your size anywhere else ooo’ but I just shake it off and move a bit further and around and VOILA!!! Of course every wise shopper know better than to ooh and aah over any product even if you have been looking for it all day long. Say I find the orange shoes I have been looking for, I just do a side eye, ask for a different design or colour whilst still eyeing it, pretend like you would have preferred so so and so and then say you will sha manage that one hehehe. If you just mistakenly say ‘Ah, I have been looking for this since…’ you don enter.

One last tip, if Hausa people are selling, I favour them over and above others. Why? They are usually cheaper and more sincere. Thankfully sometimes in the markets, there are mallams err’where with their wheel barrows selling fruits and vegs – Oranges, tomatoes, potatoes (sweet and irish), carrots, cucumbers, peppers, etc. When it comes to these things, I look no further than Hausas. I recall one silly mistake I made once. I got irish potatoes from this lady inside the market selling salad stuff. It was just 4 miserable pieces sold with tons of attitude for 200box. When I got home and was whining to momsie, she was like ‘didn’t you see ndi Hausa with wheel barrow selling?’ My dears, only for me to check next time and these men put it in small baskets for 200box. Almost triple what I bought. Choi!!! Once bitten, forever shy. Just go home and wash it wella, simples.

Dazall I can remember biko. Of course, we all know with meat you have to be a crazy pricer. I don’t believe in weighing beef sorry lol. So in the market, if you start from 2k, I go to 700 lol. Dunno why meat is that crazy.

Then of course, I hardly ever impulse buy. I go with a comprehensive list to the market and stick to it. Impulse buying almost always results in money wastage except of course you see a really great deal ehen…

Btw, how did I forget online shopping? My dear, forget all this noise that these big online shops make especially when they start announcing all those fake deals lol. Recently got a q10 and on Jumia, they had been advertising the ‘cheap’ price of 59,999 meanwhile my computer village contact who sells original and with warranty sold for me for 39k with free delivery sef because he knew I had just had a baby. You see??? (You can holler at me for his details. He sells original stuff with warranty at amazing prices.) It also pays if you have relationships with a loyal customer that can always help you out. Like I have one lady in Tradefair who I bought some baby stuff from and because she lives in Festac, when I need something, I can bank on her to buy it for me, if she doesn’t have, and get a very good bargain then bring home for me on her way home. That’s win-win because she will always know who sells best for cheapest as a shop owner herself.

I also check out Dealdey from time to time because sometimes, they have good deals but I am very wary of online shopping. Except of course I am shopping on Royal Peridot hehehe. Of course, there are some good deals online too by individuals who are just on a side business sorta thing e.g. on OLX. Recently, I was looking for a waist trainer and all those major people be selling 20,25k e.g. ShapeYou.

So I decided to google and found some independent vendors selling the same latex waist trainers for 10k. Finally met this guy on OLX and he sold same for 9500 and even delivered to my dormot. Paid only after I confirmed it was the original and brand new (Holler for his contact if you need hehehe). So you see, if you look closer and patiently, there is always a better deal for the same product. What we lack is usually patience and well maybe some skills. Or sadly, we just wanna pose and keep up with the Joneses by claiming we got this for this amount at this place… D’uh

Then of course, you may be too rich sooooooo ‘Eziaha, TIPS and TRICKS FOR WHAT???!!!!’

Please ignore all our tips and spend that money however, while I just sit here and wonder WHY the Proverbs 31 woman, obviously RICH, ‘…considers a field BEFORE buying it…’

Ok that’s all from me. Please share with me some of your market tips that have worked for you in the comments session.

Bless up!!!

E’