a day in the market

I was in the market today, just observing.

Sellers in the Nigerian market price their products with the assumption that the buyer will try to negotiate, so they don’t label a fixed price. This helps in some ways because customers can end up paying more for an item if they don’t negotiate well. But it’s also bad because sellers lose customers who try to haggle at a very low price, sometimes below the seller’s real price. The customer feels cheated, thinks the price is too high, and leaves.

Everyday life in the market is really about gaining more customers who accept a good price while losing as few customers as possible who think it’s too expensive.

Online marketplaces don’t have this exact problem. Their main issue is true interest. A customer who is asking questions about your product and already knows the price is very different from someone who is just browsing.

In the market, the first initiator of the price bargain is always the customer. He starts with a very low price that he knows the seller won’t accept. The seller then restates his price and begins to explain the value of the product. Sometimes, he even tries to convince anyone accompanying the customer so he can get their support. The buyer then states his “last” price, which is usually lower than his actual budget, and the seller counters with a lower price from his initial one. This back and forth continues until both parties are satisfied or the transaction ends. It was really cool to see this play out in real time.

Another clear difference between market sellers and online stores is that no seller is going to beg you or chase you to personally convince you to buy their product. You, the customer, came to the market because you are looking for something. The seller’s job is simply to close the sale and deliver the product.

I also heard something from a loudspeaker:

“If you hide your problem, your problem will hide you. If you don’t want people to laugh at you, they will cry for you.” This touched me so much, I had to note it down.

It was part of a prerecorded sales pitch for a herbal medicine that was playing on loop. The voice kept reinforcing the pains people might be experiencing and what those pains could lead to eventually... even death. The message was perfectly tailored to the audience: uneducated, poor people who still believe that cheap herbal medicine can fix their problems. This strategy is probably working for the business, because they’ve been blasting that speaker for the past three to four years every time I’ve come to that market.

I also noticed people from all walks of life. One thing that stood out was that most fathers I saw in the market or walking on the road were neatly dressed. That felt strange at first. Maybe a large percentage of men are business-oriented and don’t want to be seen looking careless. Or maybe being a father comes with an expectation of presenting yourself properly.

I also noticed how many cinematic shots could be taken in the market. I’d really love to see something like that someday.

There’s also a clear demand for boys who carry loads from point A to point B. Most buyers are mothers in families, and they probably can’t carry everything they buy up and down the market. That’s why having someone like that is useful. I’ve seen this system work in bigger markets, but it was missing in the one I visited.

The market is also extremely hot, so cold drinks should be in very high demand. I briefly thought about the idea of a rest center in the market, but then I questioned who would actually sit down to relax there. Most people probably want to leave the market as quickly as possible.

Overall, it was a tiring but good experience.