Are We Getting Value For Money?

Are we getting value for our money? In this austere economic climate, like most people, I am careful whenever I spend. 

It had been a miserable Tuesday and beers were necessary to drink the misery go away. In the kafunda, when Waitress popped open the TML, its contents, shot out with the same gusto as a bottle of Moet et Chandon. When the gusto subsided, more than half of the beer was snaking its way across the dusty table and floor.

When the second bottle was served and bearing in mind the disaster that happened when the first bottle was opened, I told her to take her time but rather than heed my advice, I got the waitress smirk – you know the one that reads: “I have been in this job since I was 15-years old, so I think I know how to open a bottle of beer!” Once again, the beer came shooting out like Moet.

Cutting my losses, I the guzzled the rest of the beer and summoned for the bill. As expected, she had charged me 6k for both bottles. Hmm, I didn’t get value for money so I swung her 3k for both bottles which provoked an argument. When Waitress argues, it’s never between you and her. Ok it is, but she makes sure everybody in the bar, Boda Chap and the woman in the salon next door, know that she is in an argument. But I was not going to pay for what I didn’t drink.

“You gave me half a bottle and I will pay for half a bottle” I smirked back at her. Reluctantly, she accepted but after trying to put me on a guilt trip of how her boss is going to cut her wages. Guilt trips don’t work with me.

When I got home, I find that the tin of Nescafe which cost me almost 20k from Nakumatt is not full, but three quarters full as is, the bag of Omo and Jessa’s cup of yoghurt. To make matters even worse, DStv was showing last year’s repeats of Top Gear. Am I getting value for my money? No I am so NOT!

Come Sunday, a friend takes me out to brunch at Kampala Sheraton. Brunch runs from noon to 4:00pm and with their hefty prices (though I was not paying), we expected value for money. We did not want to hear that after the first helping, that was it. We wanted to eat our fill right up until 4:00pm when F&B Manager, Simon Kizito shuts down the kitchen.

After our first helping, Waitress cleared the plates and returned with the bill holder and that got our blood boiling. “65k for a side plate of cold meats and now you want us to pay and go” we sort of lashed out at her. But Waitress was composed and pleasant enough to tell us the bill holder contained ‘the comments card’, otherwise we were free to serve ourselves as many times as we wanted. Didn’t we looked stupid but hmm, value for money from the Sheraton!

The day however, was spoilt by a visit to the kafunda shop. Kafunda Shopkeeper has pre-packed bags of sugar from 1kg, to 5kg to 10kg. I bought the 5kg bag. However, when I plonked it on my scales at home, it was not 5kg, but 4.4kg. Jeez, Kafunda Shopkeeper is also trying to squeeze me just like Butcher did. It was only when I got home that I discovered Butcher had given me 4kg of bones and fat and only one kilo of meat which is not value for money. I wonder if Friend will take me back to the Sheraton?