I got the Wacom Graphire from Low Yat Plaza today. Wacom’s dealer list included a number of stores at the shopping complex and I ended up in Startec.

I got the salesman to bring the CTE-640 box for inspection and I was a little surprised to see the price tag read RM609 since Wacom’s suggested retail price for the model was RM679.

I’m the world’s worst bargainer but being Malaysian born and bred, I naturally made a token effort to have the price reduced. I put on my most stern expression and asked whether RM609 was the best price they could offer. The salesperson brought out his calculator, punched in some numbers and showed me the result: 599.

I looked at the package again and then put on my most disbelieving face — an eyebrow was cocked — and asked again if that was the very best price they could offer. I told the salesman if he’d reduce it to RM590 I’d hand him my cash there and then. The salesperson replied he’d have to check with someone. He came back after a minute with a rather peculiar expression on his face.

The calculator display now showed 560.

I had apparently been shunted to some bizarre alternate dimension where shopkeepers don’t take advantage of awful bargainers.

I paid and went home still in disbelief over the price reduction. Perhaps the shop was passing off a shoddy unit. Perhaps I would go home, install the graphics tablet and my computer would, I don’t know, explode or something.

Imagine my befuddlement when Windows XP recognised the Graphire immediately and the driver installation went without a hitch. Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0? Working as advertised. Corel Painter Essentials 2? No problem.

Remarkable.

You know, there might be something to this eyebrow-cocking thing.