19 November 2007

The Supermarket Encounter

On our way home from an interesting outing on the evening of November 18th, 2007, my wife and I stopped by a supermarket to buy a few essentials. We found out that we did not have enough money to pay for all the items (bad habit of not having to carry cash developed in England). The young lady at the till casually said to us, ‘don’t worry, you can bring the balance tomorrow’. As we got into the car, my wife began to sing:

I love my country, I no go lie
Na inside am, I go live and die
When it turn me so, I twist am so
It push me, I push am
I no go go!


No doubt she and I were both shocked by the trust reposed in us. I can’t honestly recollect having been extended this privilege by a supermarket staff in England. Nigeria is simply a different country.PostCardfromLagos

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

kilodiyi na u just want to spoil england name lol

Tola's Place said...

Yes! That is something that even in advanced countries as the UK or the US would not do. In many ways than none, we are still pure in how we think in Africa. We are always ready to give each other a helping hand and trust one another.

PS: That would be typical for her to sing that song! :) She has always loved her country!
God bless you both and all you are doing.

Postcard from Lagos said...

To First Commentator - Not at all. England is great. However, Would love to know if you have had the same privilege in England. Waiting!

Anonymous said...

You call that privilege?? ...unsecured loan!! …no wonder the economy in that country is so bad. Do you think the English are stupid to ensure discipline?? …privileges like that give people ideas, hence insecure state. I bet the shop attendant is not even the owner of the business. You guys should try and learn to crawl before you jump.....

Anonymous said...

Have you tried buying fuel without paying first? We do that in England. It would be nice to have such privilege in Lagos so we can walk away with free gas.

Anonymous said...

Let her sing it louder. Our culture has no negative thinking Its full of respect and trust.
The shop attendant has done her credit check on you already so also would other ones to come. Please enjoy it.

Unknown said...

I am sure this is not the first time you shop at this supermarket, so there is an element of familiarity that, in this instance, bought you soem trust. I also wonder what the Manager feels about it.

Seyi Olanrewaju said...

What a wonderful encounter! I think we need to applaud the shop attendant. It's most likely that she had a foreknowledge of who you both are, hence the confidence she bestowed through the trust. Much more than this encounter, I think our society is yet to be enlightened on the need to avoid free things at all cost. How many Nigerians will truly payback such credit offer with no surety?

Anonymous said...

It is typical of Nigerians to trust in you to pay at a later date once they are sure that you can afford to pay what you owe. Dont try doing the same in England, you could be possibly nicked in quick time.

wazobia said...

I have copied and saved your wife's song. Its always good to hear of this kind of thing back home or anywhere in this world. Also please keep your blog positive and not slightly positive. The Positives in life far outweigh the negatives. Greta blog keep it up. ONE NIGERIA ONE LOVE!!!!!!!!!