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The gradual unravelling of a cheapskate
I love cheap stuff and bargains, but somewhere along the line, I have realised that some bargains come at the cost of another person’s fair wage.
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Desiring a good bargain would be a harmless trait, if it did not morph into becoming a cheapskate.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: UNSPLASH
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Growing up, I enjoyed listening to my mother talk about her grocery purchases at the wet market. The butcher who tried to fix the weighing scale and got caught out. The vegetable seller who gave her a few cents off the price per kilo of kangkong. The fishmonger – oh they were the worst, for quoting prices willy-nilly, depending on how savvy the customer was.
When I became an adult with my own household and grocery budget, she would tell me: “You young ladies who dress nicely should never shop in the wet market. You will get ripped off. If you want to buy fish, come with me, I will introduce you to my fish stall. When I tell them you are my daughter, you will be charged a good price.”
