(...And my back will feel all nice)
In a scientific study earlier in the year, 'they' found that BOGOF (Buy One Get One Free) deals excited men more than football and women liked half price deals more than Ryan Gosling (I mean women liked half price deals more than they liked Ryan Gosling, not more than Ryan Gosling liked half price deals...or football):
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2102537/Forget-love-BOGOF-gets-heart-racing-Brits-excited-bagging-bargain-finding-one.html
(excuse the Da*ily Ma*l link)
I've been thinking about the meaning of the word 'bargain', and how its definitions are akin to being as close / distant as the terms 'girlfriend' and 'prostitute'.
Let's look at this, shall we.
bar·gain / ˈbärgən
1. An agreement or contract establishing what each party will give, receive, or perform in a transaction between them (or something acquired or received in such an agreement)
2. Something bought or offered at a low price - like a bargain in a basement
HOLD ON! We may as well say that it means either :
1. The bit I want plus the bit I don't want
or
2. Just the bit I want
How different can you get?
I think that most people associate the word bargain with something they're getting for nothing or a knock-down price; a 'steal'. When I used to work down the market for Syd Cohen, the bloke on the stall opposite (who sold all kinds of stuff, a lot of it electrical, some of it useless) used to say "dagger, dagger, dagger" when he bagged up every sale and passed it out to the 'appy customer. I didn't understand what this meant so one day I asked him and he told me that, in days gone by (the old days, if you like, but not "back in the day", which sixteen year olds today often use to mean about 18 months ago), people used to keep a knife by the till in case anyone tried to rob it, so it was a reference to that. When someone was stealing from you, you got the dagger out.
For those of you that are interested, here's an excerpt from some lyrics I wrote at the time (around 1999), which were heavily influenced by the style of the Stereophonics (keep in mind that I sold knocked-down ladies' suits and the bloke opposite was always finding "another last one" when people wanted more of the same):
A Cordless Kettle and A Figurine Nun
I like the green but I need a size 22
I’d be a 12 but I’ve got trouble here with my boobs
She tries 18 and I know I’m wasting my time
I say yeah yeah, smile my best and be polite
They kid themselves into thinking what they say is right
I’m left there hanging with the hangers it’s a pantomime
What do you want it’s 30 quid for a hundred pound suit
She asks her boyfriend if he thinks it makes her arse look cute
He nods his head he’s thinking bout the match this afternoon
Money from them’s like blood outta stone
They want the Sistine Chapel for the hire of a school hall
Dagger dagger dagger it’s another last one
A cordless kettle and a figurine nun
A cordless kettle and a figurine nun
A cordless kettle and a figurine nun
1. The bit I want plus the bit I don't want
or
2. Just the bit I want
How different can you get?
I think that most people associate the word bargain with something they're getting for nothing or a knock-down price; a 'steal'. When I used to work down the market for Syd Cohen, the bloke on the stall opposite (who sold all kinds of stuff, a lot of it electrical, some of it useless) used to say "dagger, dagger, dagger" when he bagged up every sale and passed it out to the 'appy customer. I didn't understand what this meant so one day I asked him and he told me that, in days gone by (the old days, if you like, but not "back in the day", which sixteen year olds today often use to mean about 18 months ago), people used to keep a knife by the till in case anyone tried to rob it, so it was a reference to that. When someone was stealing from you, you got the dagger out.
For those of you that are interested, here's an excerpt from some lyrics I wrote at the time (around 1999), which were heavily influenced by the style of the Stereophonics (keep in mind that I sold knocked-down ladies' suits and the bloke opposite was always finding "another last one" when people wanted more of the same):
A Cordless Kettle and A Figurine Nun
I like the green but I need a size 22
I’d be a 12 but I’ve got trouble here with my boobs
She tries 18 and I know I’m wasting my time
I say yeah yeah, smile my best and be polite
They kid themselves into thinking what they say is right
I’m left there hanging with the hangers it’s a pantomime
What do you want it’s 30 quid for a hundred pound suit
She asks her boyfriend if he thinks it makes her arse look cute
He nods his head he’s thinking bout the match this afternoon
Money from them’s like blood outta stone
They want the Sistine Chapel for the hire of a school hall
Dagger dagger dagger it’s another last one
A cordless kettle and a figurine nun
A cordless kettle and a figurine nun
A cordless kettle and a figurine nun
Another reason I'm thinking about bargains is because of a tweet I sent yesterday:
I thought I'd up my game as I've tweeted Audi recently to try to get a free car and there's been no response from either the UK OR the USA, so I thought I'd make it more like a competition. That way people are bound to scrap amongst themselves to give me a motor. Of course, originally part of me thought it would be a waste of time because who is going to want to give me a car just because I ask for it? Think positive!...that is only the start of the bargaining. I could make it into a competition. Take all of them for a test drive across Europe, on a road trip, see which one I like best, review them and it could become part of their campaign if their target market are people like me....
Of course, it's not just about what you can take from someone, it's about what you might be able to give in return. There's something where I live called the time bank - a skill exchange where no money changes hands. A bit like the old days, indeed.
http://www.haringeytimebank.org.uk/
I haven't offered any skills as yet as I'm not sure what I'm looking for in return is actually offered, but you feel free if you'd like to join. I would love to hear what you have to offer. In life in general. Perhaps we could skill swap?
My Mum was very fond of saying "cast your bread upon the water...", whenever anyone was reluctant about taking a course of action that was not due to stand them direct gain, and I would always complete the phrase with "...and it comes back soggy". These days I am less cynical, especially as everyone seems to be doing the Atkins diet.
The End.
I thought I'd up my game as I've tweeted Audi recently to try to get a free car and there's been no response from either the UK OR the USA, so I thought I'd make it more like a competition. That way people are bound to scrap amongst themselves to give me a motor. Of course, originally part of me thought it would be a waste of time because who is going to want to give me a car just because I ask for it? Think positive!...that is only the start of the bargaining. I could make it into a competition. Take all of them for a test drive across Europe, on a road trip, see which one I like best, review them and it could become part of their campaign if their target market are people like me....
Of course, it's not just about what you can take from someone, it's about what you might be able to give in return. There's something where I live called the time bank - a skill exchange where no money changes hands. A bit like the old days, indeed.
http://www.haringeytimebank.org.uk/
I haven't offered any skills as yet as I'm not sure what I'm looking for in return is actually offered, but you feel free if you'd like to join. I would love to hear what you have to offer. In life in general. Perhaps we could skill swap?
My Mum was very fond of saying "cast your bread upon the water...", whenever anyone was reluctant about taking a course of action that was not due to stand them direct gain, and I would always complete the phrase with "...and it comes back soggy". These days I am less cynical, especially as everyone seems to be doing the Atkins diet.
The End.
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