Today is #MarketFriday, a project initiated by @dswigle, and this post is my contribution to this project for this week.
To learn more about this project and participate, visit today's post by @dswigle.
Over the past two weeks, I shared with you how I accidentally dropped my cell phone and how the screen got shattered.
I was blessed in the sense that the insurance company covered the damage to the full and the claim did not affect my monthly premium either.
So, the week before last, I received my phone back. The protective cover I used up until now was already old and also needed to be replaced. So I didn't put it back onto the phone.
That means the phone was handled with extra high levels of care and caution.
That gave my wife an idea...
She decided she would buy me a new protective phone cover for Father's Day.
Although still a week too early, she offered to get it for me last weekend.
We remembered seeing several little shops at Wilson's Wharf in Durban Harbor, which we thought would stock all kinds of cell phone accessories.
That would be great because that would allow us to have a nice walk in the harbor area as well.
So, off we went to Wilson's Wharf. We went straight to the entertainment area in Wilson's Wharf.
The first photo is one I have taken during a previous walk early in the morning. It's outside Wilson's Wharf, looking at the entrance where you would enter the entertainment area and find various little businesses inside this area.
This area is normally a hive of activity. This weekend, we only arrived there by about 10 am. on Saturday morning as we had another scheduled stop before we could go to Wilson's Wharf. With that in mind, I was surprised to see how quiet it was when we arrived.
As you enter the building, the layout is almost like a craft market set up. As we walked in, we were the only people in this area with only a few items on display.
To the left, two individuals had some hats on display...
The second display...
The most prominent businesses were the various companies that take people out on boat rides...
There was one shop that looked like it might have some cell phone-related products...
We inquired about what we were looking for, but the only cell phone-related items they had were chargers...
The rest of the place almost appeared deserted with only empty shops being visible...
We strolled around for a while and I took some photos of the boats outside. The restaurant area still seems to be operating quite well.
But then we decided to leave. We decided to stop at a mall about halfway back home, the Westwood Mall.
Looking to the left, toward the entrance where we would be entering.
The next two photos were taken with my cell phone...
The entrance to the mall.
Once inside, we strolled through the mall and found this shop that specialized in cell phones and accessories.
We went inside and enquired about what we were looking for...a protective cover for my cell phone.
The guy was very friendly and helpful and immediately he was able to show us exactly what we were looking for.
So, let's get to the "money" side...
At the time of writing this post, the exchange rate was R18.46 for $1.00.
We asked about the price and he told us it was R150.00 ($8.13).
The next moment my wife surprised me...
Ever so calmly, friendly, and gently, I heard her asking "Is that your best price?".
Personally, I would walk into a place, ask for a price and decide whether I was willing to pay it or not. End of story. I hate "bargaining".
My wife, on the other hand, deals with businesses daily in her line of work, and I know she has told me that these guys love bargaining with you. It's like a challenge and they love it.
Me, on the other hand, if you give me a price, I either take it or I leave it. I do not see the sense in having a bargaining session. If you could have given it to me at a lower price, then why beat around the bush to see if you can get more out of me?
But that's me...
So, let me tell you what happened...
As mentioned..."Is that your best price?", is what I heard in a gentle voice from my wife, standing next to me.
I was still trying to get over the surprise, when I heard a friendly answer in return with a big smile on his face..."I'll give it to you at R120.00 ($6.50), Ma'am."
Then the next surprise...
My wife responded with "And Screensavers for protecting the screen? Do you have any of those?"
"Yes, I do", came the reply.
"How much", my wife wanted to know.
"Also R150.00 ($8.13), Ma'am. But for you, I'll do it at R100.00 ($5.42)."
"Awesome", came the reply from my wife, "I'll take it."
The guy then took the phone from me and fitted the screen saver/protector onto my phone, while I was still trying to figure out what has just happened, with my lower jaw hanging on my chest...hahaha.
The dealer was smiling from ear to ear, happy with selling us two products instead of one. My wife was happy with the price, and I was...over the moon...lol.
What I would have paid R300.00 ($16.25) for, my wife has just managed to pay R220.00 ($11.92). All credit to my wife!
My phone is now well protected again with a brand new protective cover wrapped around it.
And it is now even better protected than before with the protective film fitted onto the screen as well!
And on that note, saving R80.00 ($4.33) on our purchase, we come to the end of today's post.
Thank you for reading my post! I do appreciate it!