It was drizzling as our van stopped at a fruit stand by the road. I went down to buy unripe papaya (with the green skin) which we plan to use for the achara or papaya salad. I haggled with the vendor since I felt he was overpricing. I was not happy with the price of two big papayas for Php50 but I bought them anyway since he won’t change his price.

We’re used to buying in the market so we’re familiar with the prevailing prices. When we got home, we asked Mom and Juv what they think about our buy. We let them guess first about the price. “20?” Mom asked. When we told them we bought it at 30 pesos more, they just laughed. Sigh.

My theory is that these vendors charge you at a higher price when they see you riding your own car. Their mindset is like this: customers with car = rich = sell at a higher price. If you want to buy at the usual market price, better park your vehicle away from where you intend to buy your fruits or veggies and just walk over to their stall. That way, these roadside vendors will not overprice.