Blenders and Deceit?

The other day I was at one of the local malls looking for a blender. We don't have Walmart stores here, so almost all your shopping is done in a mall...small or huge. Anyways, most of the blenders I have looked at, that actually have the ability to crush ice,...and why would you want a blender that can't do that...are running between $30 to $75 USD. I don't believe I paid more than $20 for the one I bought when I lived in the US, so I find these prices outrageous and have not been able to bring myself to pay for one yet. However, on this particular day I found a blender marked for $19 or P844. Yes! I have finally found a blender in my price range. I asked the clerk if that was truly the right price, and he assured me it was.

Buying things here is a system. You may not just pick an item off the shelf and take it to the register to pay for it. No! The clerk must run to the back of the store and make sure he finds the right box. The clerk then takes the appliance, plugs it in, and makes sure it works to your satisfaction, even if the product is brand new in the box. Then the clerk, the appliance, the box and you all go to the cash register. There the cashier checks you out and another cashier bags your appliance. Then you, your bagged appliance, and receipt are passed in front of a security guard about five feet away who has been watching you check out. He again checks your receipt just to make sure that you have not somehow managed to steal something within the two minutes of buying the product and walking over to him. Sometimes the guard at the entrance of the store also checks your receipt before you exit.

On this particular day, I was going through the system. The only thing unsual was that the clerk took the sticker off the blender as he was heading to the back of the store to get the box. However, when I got to the register I noticed that he had actually changed the sticker on me. It was no longer P844, but well over P2,000. I told the cashier that was not the price that was on the blender when it was on the shelf. She asked the clerk who had changed the price, and he, of course, confirmed to her that was the right price. To say it was the wrong price would be to lose face and admit he had changed it. I was disgusted. He and I both knew he had changed the price on the blender. I told them I would not purchase the blender, and I left the store.