Jayne Whyte's Portfolio

Hey Everyone!

I hope you enjoyed every bit of lent and the Easter holidays. It was a much needed holiday for me and I am so looking forward to the next holiday…..May 1st, Workers/Labor Day! Can’t wait…can’t wait…lol.

I love shopping, haggling/ bargaining, interacting with the market men and women, the aroma of market street food….everything. I find everything interesting; the woman who is quarrelling with another for taking her space, the children playing in a corner not paying attention to the pile of dirt beside them, the butchers who call out names of women just to attract customers, the women gossiping about another trader who has refused to greet them, some other older women who are cursing out some lady because she is wearing tattoos on her right arm and the wheel barrow pusher who calls out to you even when you have not bought anything yet………I usually ask “do you want to carry me in your barrow”?

Sometimes, the display of food stuffs by the traders in a market makes my mouth water and one can just imagine a kind of soup that will come out of them and suddenly get hungry and that also could change my mind on what I had initially planned to cook for the week. For instance, I had planned to cook okra soup last week but when I saw the fresh cocoyam and oha leaves, I changed my mind sharp sharp and so did my budget.

Before I start salivating and yawning again, I better share my shopping tips.

Tip 1: Have a costed shopping list: Shopping list guides you on what you need to buy and what you really need. Make sure you cost every item on your shopping. Have enough funds for the items on your list and make ‘small’ room for extra household items you may need and you did not budget for.

Tip 2: Time: You don’t want to spend the whole day shopping and before you know it you don waka round the whole market looking for salt to buy. Give yourself time and feel free to set an alarm. Spending time haggling does not necessarily mean you will get the best products at the best prices.

Tip 3: Honest and friendly customer is key: We all need that sincere and honest customer who tells us that the palm oil is fresh and unadulterated, who sells quality food stuffs and who does not fail to tell us what kind of product tastes better. For instance, ability to differentiate the fake ogbono from the real ogbono, hand peeled egusi versus machine peeled egusi  and so on. We need that customer we can trust to give us the best advice or quality food for our money and that makes things easier for us.

Shopping can be a nightmare for some and a hobby for others but what ever it is for you, do take your time and plan your shopping and don’t forget to give yourself a small treat after shopping…..you deserve the best.

Enjoy!