Have you ever been at the grocery store and saw the "buy one, get one free" signs and thought to yourself, "Is this food old? Stale? Defective?" Why else would they be offering to give away free products? Typically it's just a case of overstocks. When a store has too much of a product, they lower the price in hopes that the item will be more desirable (because of the lower price) and be selected for purchase quicker.
Or have you been in the drugstore looking for a particular name-brand item and right beside it is an off-brand packaged to look almost identical to the name brand, but the catch is sometimes the off-brand does not have the same quality or effectiveness.
When this happens a few things can occur. With the overstocks, the price can be discounted so drastically that when that item is seen at full price somewhere else it seems "overpriced" because its true value has been forgotten. Or with the imitation situation, one will select a discounted item over the item they truly want only because the price is lower and sacrifice the quality, preferred taste of another brand.
Sometimes as singles, that same mindset manifests itself. A woman that has reached a certain age and/or status feels like she has been "on the shelf," or in this case "single," for too long and feels that she must "discount" her standards so that a man will select her. Or a man may decide that waiting for the right woman to come into his life is "costing" too much when he can get an "off-brand" for less.
Ladies, you must never think of yourself as an overstock. Yes, you may look around and it seems that there are so many single women and few single men available. However, you should never lower your standards in hopes of getting married quicker. There may be an abundance of single women, but there is only ONE you and you are priceless. And if you decide to "discount" yourself, others will forget your true value. So continue to hold steadfast to your high standards.
Men, off-brands may work with some lotions, toothpaste and even cough medicine, but never in choosing your mate. Just like the store tries to trick you into thinking you are getting the same thing for a cheaper price by making the off-brand package "look" the same as the name brand... watch out for those women that pretend to be something they are not. You have to look past the exterior and take a look within to see what you are really getting. You may have to work harder and it may seem to come at a higher "price" but the sacrifice will be worth it in the end.
Just remember, most times... you get what you pay for.
For more by Tanya Martin, click here.
For more on relationships, click here.