Trading
areas at the Queen Victoria Market are generally categorised as Food or General
Merchandise. Food is food, and I don't have a problem with the term (I assume
Food Traders feel the same) but General Merchandise is just too general and
doesn't adequately convey the rich offering in the top end of the market.
In fact,
trade in the top end is the opposite of "general", it is
"speciality". General Merchandise Traders are Speciality Merchandise Traders because
each trader specialises in a particular category and gives it a
richness, depth, and level of expertise that most other retailers can't. The
depth of offer in categories like jewellery, sports shoes, socks, handbags,
hats, souvenirs (and the list goes on) is rarely exceeded outside the market.
Wikipedia
describes Speciality Shops as follows - Specialty
(BE: speciality) stores are small stores which specialize in a specific range
of merchandise and related items. Most stores have an extensive depth of stock
in the item that they specialize in and provide high levels of service and expertise.
The pricing policy is generally in the medium to high range, depending on
factors like the type and exclusivity of merchandise and ownership, that is,
whether they are owner operated or a chain operation which has the advantage of
bulk purchasing and centralized warehousing system. They differ from department
stores and supermarkets which carry a wide range of merchandise.[1
The other
important aspect of the "Speciality" tag is of course the high level
of personal service and expertise that the name implies. In contrast with
today's impersonal department stores, QVM Traders offer a face to face experience to each and every customer and that is an advantage we should
maximise. Add in the level of competition offered by multiple traders in each
category (some see this as repetition, I see it as healthy competition) and it
is no wonder that QVM is a very desirable place to shop.
I would
like to see QVM described as a place for Food
and Speciality Merchandise.