I looked around a drug store in Chinatown in Singapore whilst waiting for my Chinese Mandarin speaking friend to arrive. She is a good friend who stayed with me in London several times. She can always find me a shop which sells what I want, and take me there.
I told her on the phone, "I'm looking for lavender-scented cosmetics which I heard were not attractive to insets, and might even repulse mosquitos."
She told me about the shop which was near the station, so we were meeting there.
I asked the shop assistant for a discount.
The assistant said, 'no discount, fixed price'.
She looked at the lavender with me. I said, "I am not buying it because it's more expensive than in London."
She spoke to the shopkeeper and came back grinning. She said, "It's expensive because it's imported from England. But I have negotiated a reduced price for you."
She linked arms with me.
Afterwards I told her that the shopkeeper had told me 'fixed price'. She looked at me as if I was mad.
I said I reckoned that local people (Singaporeans speaking Chinese) got the negotiable rate. She said it could be even more localised. People who worked in the same block got a discount.
In Harrow we have weekly offers in the Council newspapers, but they are not regular discounts for local people, but weekly promotions.
That is not so unusual. Some councils reckon local tax payers have paid for the local museums and should get a discount or free entry.
In Asian countries it's good to ask a local person to negotiate, especially if they are the hustling, business-like sort. If they don't manage to negotiate a deal, they will know another place with more amenable staff or a wholesale store or a discount store or a cheaper district or a cheaper mall or a market.
My friend went back to work after lunch. Before catching my train home, I popped back into the store. I later went back to the shop. I bought some more, asking first whether I could still have the same discount.
She asked, "Is the Chinese lady your sister-in-law?"
I took my change. "No. I said, "Just a very good friend."
"Oh," said the assistant. "She said she was your sister-in-law."
I made a hasty exit.
If I had had my wits about me, and not been unnerved by the original hoo-ha I would have remained sufficiently confident to laugh it off and reply, "She calls me her sister or her sister-in-law because our families are so close."
That is what my friend would have said next time she went back into the shop.
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, auth or and speaker.
I told her on the phone, "I'm looking for lavender-scented cosmetics which I heard were not attractive to insets, and might even repulse mosquitos."
She told me about the shop which was near the station, so we were meeting there.
I asked the shop assistant for a discount.
The assistant said, 'no discount, fixed price'.
She looked at the lavender with me. I said, "I am not buying it because it's more expensive than in London."
She spoke to the shopkeeper and came back grinning. She said, "It's expensive because it's imported from England. But I have negotiated a reduced price for you."
She linked arms with me.
Afterwards I told her that the shopkeeper had told me 'fixed price'. She looked at me as if I was mad.
I said I reckoned that local people (Singaporeans speaking Chinese) got the negotiable rate. She said it could be even more localised. People who worked in the same block got a discount.
In Harrow we have weekly offers in the Council newspapers, but they are not regular discounts for local people, but weekly promotions.
That is not so unusual. Some councils reckon local tax payers have paid for the local museums and should get a discount or free entry.
In Asian countries it's good to ask a local person to negotiate, especially if they are the hustling, business-like sort. If they don't manage to negotiate a deal, they will know another place with more amenable staff or a wholesale store or a discount store or a cheaper district or a cheaper mall or a market.
My friend went back to work after lunch. Before catching my train home, I popped back into the store. I later went back to the shop. I bought some more, asking first whether I could still have the same discount.
She asked, "Is the Chinese lady your sister-in-law?"
I took my change. "No. I said, "Just a very good friend."
"Oh," said the assistant. "She said she was your sister-in-law."
I made a hasty exit.
If I had had my wits about me, and not been unnerved by the original hoo-ha I would have remained sufficiently confident to laugh it off and reply, "She calls me her sister or her sister-in-law because our families are so close."
That is what my friend would have said next time she went back into the shop.
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, auth or and speaker.
No comments:
Post a Comment