I will be the pattern of all patience; I will say nothing.

I was not really in the mood for retail today, and thanks to the Black Friday sales going on, everyone was out and about and shopping their hearts out.

Good news for retailers. Not great for me.

There are only this many times in the day I can stand repeating myself. But retail is constant repetition. Sometimes to the same person. That really bugs the heck out of me, not to mention infuriates me when they still don’t get it. They usually don’t get it because they’re not really listening. That makes me want to smack them. Cos sometimes they walk away mid-sentence.

I’ve noticed so far that Asians tend to ask for discounts. I’m still wondering in my mind why that’s the case. Same thing happened again, except this time it was a Korean lady who tried her hand at bargaining. She first tried to ask for s discount from AL, and was politely turned down with our standard “our prices are already very reasonable”.

Here’s what I don’t get. People don’t go to Target and bargain, why do they think they can get away with it here? Why take it out on a small business? We label each item with prices, so they know what they’re getting into way before they say – I’ll take two of these, and a quarter pound of that. If it’s way over their budget, then they don’t even have to go there.

Why stoop to bargaining?

Anyway. The Korean lady decided to try the same line with me as I was ringing her up, and again asked for a discount. AL had already given her some tea samples, but she decides, she needs an even better deal.

That’s when my mind is racing for a polite way to say: this isn’t a negotiation, you don’t bargain when I have your credit card in my hand. I’m also making a silent apology to all the people I bargained with in my life – the flea market stalls in Phuket, the second level electronics stores in Sim Lim, and in the textile market in Korea.

I eventually settled on the fairness argument. The prices are fair, and to be fair, we charge everyone the same low price. If we had to give people who bargain discounts, we’d have to raise the prices across the board to make up for it. That wouldn’t be fair.

She wouldn’t relent! She said, give me more samples then.

I said, you’ve been given some of all the samples we have.

With that, she then goes on to say, actually, I know the prices of these teas. I think your prices are actually very good.

WTF!!!!

I don’t know if she was testing us, or just mucking with me. WTF! She then goes on to talk to PL about wholesale opportunities.

She didn’t get no Kamsahamida on her way out, that’s for sure.