One of
our traders writes "Brown" on the tag of her dark brown garments and
"Blue" on the tags of her dark blue garments because otherwise she
can't identify them. And that is not because of poor eyesight, it is because of
poor lighting.
Under the
sheds at QVM can be very dark and this was a common complaint at
trader/management meetings last year. Much has recently been done to lighting
under the sheds and yet the emphasis seems to have been on economy rather than
achieving better vision.
The
problem is not consistent throughout the market. The north side of K shed has a
light above each stall and they seem to have adequate lighting. The south side
of K shed seems to be the source of some of the worst lighting conditions in
the whole market. In the rear of K and L sheds, the roof (and lights) are so
high that effective merchandising becomes very difficult. Areas of C, D, and E
sheds have similar problems.
Traders
may have noticed some one-off test lighting in Rear L where smaller hi-tech
lights appear to add extra light. We say "appear" because this can be
a very subjective assessment although if you have a smart phone you can get a
couple of free apps to actually measure the light. For iPhone try Whitegoods
Light Meter or Luxmeter. Taking lux readings around your stall and comparing with other
areas may help you become more objective about the lighting at your stall. And
this is not just about adding extra lighting it may involve more skylights so
we can harness more of that very economical ingredient, natural light. It may
also involve lowering stall displays so that everybody gets a fair share of
available light.
Have Your Say - click here
COMMENTS:
07/04/2013 22:50:12 Lighting "If more skylights were to be put in they need to be covered during the really hot days as they intensify the heat in summer, thus making our stall really hot. I don't know why we just can't have the power they keep promising us, when certain stalls that only use it for lighting are allowed to have it."
08/04/2013 10:00:59 Lighting "The Trader comment is actually touching on 3 separate but connected issues. I suggest it is best to deal with them separately so as to ensure achieving the best possible results in all areas.
The 3 pressing issues under discussion here are:
1) Lighting
2) Access to electricity
3) Heat under the sheds
So whilst it is true that one area will often impact on another, what seems to be happening is that the difficulties in dealing with any of the above mentioned issues is canceling out the resolution of any of the issues.
This is totally unacceptable and all 3 areas need to be resolved now. We are living in 2013 and should no longer be trading in ""dark age"" conditions.
This is, in fact, yet another example of the almost complete neglect of the GMT area. So whilst the powers that be are more than happy to collect an enormous amount of rent money (some calculations say it is between $150-170,000 per week, yes per week) from GMT traders, the money spent to rectify the most basic sub conditions we have to trade under is negligible and practically non existent. "
08/04/2013 21:00:10 lighting issue. "How about the idea of roof fans. I thing it would serve two purposes.
1. Cool down and circulate the air.it would be a welcome relief on those hot summer days for both traders, and customers.
2. I imagine the fans would also deter the the birds from making nests etc.
I'm sure the cost would be recovered, from the amount of traders taking days off because of the heat .
Food for thought ?" skippy
09/04/2013 10:05 Lighting Issue "Good thinking Skippy".
11/04/2013 18:52:21 Lighting "Thought I would measure the light in my stall today... It was 14 lux! Just to give you an idea of what that means, a candle one foot away provides the equivalent of 10 lux. That might be great for a candle light dinner but it is disastrous for trying to do any business! "
