Promoters

Another lovely day ruined! By whom, you may ask..By an obnoxious promoter who sticks her super-fake-loads-of-make-up face into a decision that is obviously not hers to make just to tell us (my mum and I) that her cream X is better than cream Y. The story goes something like this.

My mum and I went to Everise after school to buy some groceries. Before going to the check-out counter to pay, we stopped to see facial products. Day and night cream, to be precise.

Mum: *picks up brand Y and starts looking for price tag. When price tag was located, she proceeds to put it in shoopong cart*
Promoter: *hurries to see which brand wins in the 'tug-of-war' of brands. A little shocked to see her brand untouched* Mau cari apa? Cream? Apa brand mau cari?
Mum: Tak apa. Sudah dapat. *Points to shopping cart*
Promoter: Oh, itu brand ah.. Saya kasi lu tengok ini brand, lagi baik punya. *Selects a bottle of cream brand X and hands it to my mum* Ini cream boleh kasi lu punya muka lagi putih. Ini ada anti-aging. Itu kulit tak ada kedut punya. Lu tengok, tak ada bau punya. Lu mau cuba ka?
Mum: *Looks at me with raised eyebrows*
Me: *Looks at cream Y already in shopping cart and does mental calculation*
Two bottles of cream Y each 30g costs RM25.90, 1 bottle= RM12.95. One bottle of cream X 40g costs RM21.90. Which one cheaper? Of course brand Y, right? Brand Y is widely advertised and can still charge cheaper, why is this brand so expensive? Its not even Loreal, for heavens sake! I thought brand X is 'dead' already. I haven't heard it for a long time. Does that mean its still safe? Why is she emphasizing on fair skin? Doesn't she know that my skin can't be any fairer? (maybe it can, but there has to be a limit, right?)

I finally muster the few ounces of courage left in me cos all that was left was just pure rage.
Me: Tak mau la.
Promoter: *Shoves the product under my nose* Kalau beli dua, saya bagi discount RM 3.
At this point, I was starting to think, you mean people actually fall for the 'pay 40 over ringgit and get a RM3 discount?! You've got to be kidding me!
Me: Tak apa lah. Kita sudah lama pakai brand ini.
Promoter: You cuba ini brand. Banyak bagus. Boleh cerah. Lagi ada SPF 25.
Me: Kalau you mau kita cuba, you bagi free la. Kan you kata cuba. Kalau cuba kan free?
Promoter: Eh, mana boleh.. Rugi bo..
Me: Saya pun rugi cakap dengan you. Banyak lagi kerja saya boleh buat. Okay? Terima kasih sahajalah.

I wonder what was her reaction after all that. Was she used to rejection? Why should I worry about her? I'm sure there are many other customers you can scam but not me. Talking about scams, another promoter came up to us and shoved a car sticker in our faces.

Promoter: Free gift! Naik tingkat dua, tunjuk ini card. Boleh dapat free gift.
Mum: Tak apa la. Kita sudah mau balik.
Promoter: Oh tak ada la. Ini cuma mau kasi lu barang elektrik saja. Free lagi.
Mum: Perlu bayar ka?
Promoter: Tak perlu..
Mum: Okay, saya tengok dulu.
Promoter: Puan kena isi borang ini dulu. Isi nama, IC dan alamat.
Mum: *Looks at form* Kalau macam ini, tak payah la. Saya sudah mau balik. Terima kasih.

When we finally reached the car, my mum said, "Hmph, free. Where got free things in this world! Where got people want to give you something free for no reason. Besides, they want your IC number and address. What do they need that for? I'm not applying for a credit card!"

It reminded me of this saying: If its too good to be true, it probably is.

Signing out,
back-off