I regret not visiting the Bounty Supermarket, Water Street and make a purchase as I was instructed to do by a recovering patient, who handed me $2,000 to get her some fruits from that supermarket on Monday June 11, 2012. Having had to dwell in the downtown area around the Stabroek Market, for no particular reason I decided to go over to the fruit vendors’ area close to the KFC building to make that purchase of the fruits.

I approached female vendor #1 and made enquiries about the price for a pineapple and she said to me $300. I didn’t like the price so I looked over to female vendor #2 and her next door neighbour and her advertising price on a cardboard read $260 and it was actually the same in size as the one from vendor #1 and I just felt that vendor number#1 wasn’t too happy.

I said to vendor #2 that I need a pineapple and handed her a $1,000 bill and before she handed me back the change, I asked her if I took two pineapples if she would take $500 for both of them and she agreed and handed me the two pineapples. After a few seconds went by, still standing in front of the stall for my change of $500, I requested to have my change. Lo and behold, this woman began to literally shout towards me and claiming that I only gave her $500 and the thousand dollar bill she has in front of her is from some woman that gave it to her. For a moment I thought she was joking, but it was when her neighbour and vendor #1 butted in and also, at her loudest, came in defence and said that indeed the $1,000 bill vendor #2 had was from some woman that gave it to her.
It was then that I realised I was blatantly conned by these two vendors who apparently work hand in hand to fleece customer/s.
The noble words I left with vendor #2 were that “I hope you have a great life with that $500.”

Little do these two barefaced bandits know, is that I have, for many years been a “Tourism Advocate” for Guyana, and all of us are to benefit in many ways whenever tourists visit. If this is the behaviour they have embarked on, one just has to wonder if we will ever move towards the better.

I say to the foreign nationals based in Guyana and visiting ones, stay far away from those fruit vendors who sell in front of, or at the side of the downtown KFC building. I can’t foresee myself supporting that particular area of fruit vending.

Upon reaching my destination, I related to the recovering patient about the ordeal/experience and her words to me was that, “I instructed you to go and purchase fruits for me from the “Bounty Supermarket…Water Street” and not the fruit vendors from whom I had such a shocking experience.