08/05/2025
Why Is It Hard to Own Up to Your Mistakes?
I recently shared with my WhatsApp community about a watermelon I bought on Monday.
It was clear that the watermelon was leftover from Sunday. My assumption is that the seller put these watermelons up for sale on Monday to avoid running into loss. However, it's unfair for me to spend my hard-earned money, even if itâs only 100 naira, on something that's spoiled.
These are the outcomes you take when selling perishable goods.
May Allah forgive my mother. When she was selling moinmoin, we never sold leftovers from the previous day, no matter how much we had left. I remember how we would sometimes fry them if we were tired of reheating, or share them with Almajiri, or even put them in the oven.
Yesterday, I went back to the seller. This time, I met the actual seller, it was clear that the watermelon the neighbour sold to me came from his tray. I complained but he denied.
What I wanted was an apology. I'd have been fine even if he didnât offer me a replacement. Instead, he aggravated my anger by denying that I bought the watermelon from him, making me feel like a liar.
This is how some people behave: instead of empathizing with a customerâs complaint that is clearly their fault, they turn it into a confrontation.
Will I patronize this guy again? Absolutely not. Would I refer anyone to him? Nope.
Let's aim to do better as responsible entrepreneurs.
I'm Hikmat Akinpelu, a Social Media /Content Strategist, Video Creator & Coach, Mobile Videographer, Video Editor, Premium Ad Presenter & Voiceover Artist.
