I grew up in Lagos and frequented Yaba Market for “retail therapy,” moving back after spending five years in Ile-Ife, Osun State for school has been overwhelming for me. Returning to Lagos felt like stepping into a world that was both familiar and unfamiliar.
It’s surprising how you can grow up in a place, leave for a while, and then come back to find that the city isn’t as peaceful as the one you spent 5 years in. I thought I knew how to navigate Lagos, but lately, it’s been full of little culture shocks that catch me off guard. The more I know, the more I realise that I don’t know.
Take this past Saturday, for instance. My friend and I decided to go to Yaba Market to get some new clothes. One of the things I like about Lagos is that you have a lot of options whenever you want to shop for anything, from the Eko market on the island to the mainland markets like Yaba. We agreed that Yaba Market was the right choice, mainly because it was closer to us and you can find trendy, affordable outfits, especially if you know where to look. I have been there before, and so I knew some basic market survival rules.
As soon as we stepped out of the bus and entered the market like this, the “Yaba boys” were on us like magnets. They moved to us so fast; they are always searching for potential customers, especially people who look like JJC, and then doing the things I find mostly annoying: touching us. OmG, I hate it when they do that.
“Sister, what do you want to buy?” One of them called out while dragging us through the crowd. Another chimed in almost immediately, “I sell very nice jeans and crop tops. Very fine ones.” As we ignored them and moved further, another guy walked up to us and said, “Let me take you to my shop down there. You will like what you see.”
These guys are “market agents.” Market agents are people in busy markets, like Yaba Market, who offer to help shoppers find what they need. They guide customers to certain shops and earn a small fee from the shop owners if the shoppers buy something. Although they might seem helpful, they often take the shoppers to shops where they’ll pay higher prices to cover their commission.
This wasn’t my first experience dealing with these “market agents,” so I knew how this usually plays out. Once they spot you, their main aim is to get you to follow them to one of the shops in the area, whether or not it has what you’re looking for. They know exactly how to make you feel like they’re offering genuine help, especially if you’re new to Lagos or unfamiliar with the market. As someone who’s been through this market routine before, I knew better than to respond. The reason is because:
- They often take you to a shop that probably won’t have what you’re looking for, which just ends up wasting your time. Sometimes, they’ll take you from one shop to another, wasting your time as you go through different options that don’t meet your needs, as if you’re going on a mini market tour that you didn’t sign up for.
- The prices will likely be higher since the shop owners pay these guys a commission for every customer they bring in.
Even though it’s understandable that they’re trying to make money, I wasn’t looking to fall into that situation because me gan I am looking for ways to manage the little money I have. In Asake’s voice, “Before dem use me, I go use my sense” lol.
We continued to walk into the market while we ignored or simply shook our heads to decline the persistent offers and kept walking. The key was to not make eye contact or engage at all because any sign of interest would encourage them to follow us further.
After we walked for about ten minutes around the market, we finally found the shop we were looking for. One of the most useful survival hacks for shopping in Yaba Market or any market in Lagos is having a reliable contact, i.e., a “customer” for almost every item you might need. It will save you from the stress of being redirected to random shops and paying higher prices. Fortunately, I had been to Yaba before and had a few contacts, so we made our way to a familiar vendor who stocked quality clothing. We were able to browse freely, choose the dress we liked, and negotiate directly with the shop owner, all without the interference of the “market agents.”
Living in Lagos teaches me that you have to be sharp as a Lagosian. You can’t be too soft here because plenty of people are ready to take advantage of that. If you’re too gentle, you’ll end up getting cheated. So, always be prepared to bring out the Lagosian in you; it will always come in handy.
Have you ever faced the stress of Yaba Market? Especially with the agents? Will you be trying these tips next time? Or maybe you have your secrets to outsmarting ‘market agents’—we’d love to hear them in the comments.
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