You’re walking through a village market in Morocco, the smells and sounds are exotic and mysterious. You see a colorful stall with shiny, beaded bracelets and ear rings…You approach the wizened old man who seems to be the in-charge guy and ask the price of one of the gewgaws. He smiles and writes down a figure on a scrap of paper…you shake your head and write down another figure. This goes on for a few back-and-forth moments until you say “O.K.”…more smiles and the purchase is wrapped in the same paper on which the transaction was conducted.
Your traveling companion teases you and assures you that you could have gotten it MUCH cheaper in the next street or, better still, the next town. Of course you travel on to the next street and the next town and nowhere do you see that charming bracelet again. Oh yes, there are lots and lots of bracelets, but none as lovely as the ONE you bought.
The scene changes: you are back home and unpacking…ah, that lovely bracelet, it will be a wonderful gift for your friend or your niece or your neighbor or keep it yourself! It was so inexpensive!!! Why didn’t I buy a dozen? And those great caps, with the local logo…what were they? About a dollar a piece? You didn’t buy any of them?
The moral of the story: when you see a bit of merchandise which intrigues you, BUY IT ON THE SPOT! You won’t find it again at that price in the next town or even the next street…and when you get home you’ll wish you had a dozen to give away and one more just to keep for yourself.
