The following article was written by Lotta, a freelance journalist and writer in London. Lotta's husband, Gerry, is involved in a clothing business and she got to look after his market stall at Spitalfields Market one weekend. Her intuitive observations on market trading will strike a chord with many traders.
"7 THINGS I LEARNED WHILE SPENDING A WEEKEND TRADING AT SPITALFIELDS MARKET
On
Sunday I was standing at a market stall at Spitalfield’s market,
watching customers walking past. I was freezing, feeling bored, angry
and tried. Life on the markets isn’t easy.
Gerry was doing an art market at Spitalfield’s and I was manning the Plane Clothing t-shirt
stall. I’ve done a few markets in the past, but they’ve all been
friendly, easy indoor markets. They’ve also been around Christmas time
when people spend, spend and spend. Doing a market in April, when half
of London is away on Easter Holiday and the other half is watching the
London marathon is a different thing altogether. I did learn a few
things.
1. Market traders like moaning
If
you spend any time at all on the London markets you will meet a varied
bunch of other traders. Some have done it for years, some have just
started, some are doing the markets because they don’t have any other
choice of employment, some are passionate about the product they’ve just
started selling.
The
one thing all these traders will have in common is the moaning. I did
it too. It’s almost impossible to avoid if you’re having a slow day.
Moaning and complaining is the market trader equivalent of a doctor
joking about his patients, it’s a way to let off steam after a stressful
day. You need to complain a bit after the third person walks by and
turns their nose up at your stall. Or after someone ignores you when you
speak to them.
However
it’s easy to get stuck in a negative headspace. This will show through
when you start talking to customers. They can smell it, they see it in
your tired, dulled eyes. Moan a little bit and then remind yourself of
the job you’re there to do.
2. There are plenty of customers out there – some will like your product, some won’t
The
market is a stern teacher. If your product isn’t working it won’t sell.
But even if you have a good product, not everyone will like it. You
will meet some people who adore what you do and some people who don’t
understand it at all. What you need to understand is that it’s not
personal. Everyone is different. No matter how great your product is it
won’t work for everyone.
This
gets even more complicated if you do several days at a market where
people LOVE what you do and spend money with you one day and no one even
wants to look at your product the next day. Again it’s nothing
personal, it’s probably just totally random and depends on the customers
that happen to come through that day. Try to remind yourself of this.
Don’t take the good or the bad days too seriously. Just keep working.
This
same advice works for writers and most creatives. Some people just
won’t like your style or your subject. Keep working away, put your stuff
out there. Learn from the constructive feedback you get and believe in
your product.
3. Remember the basics, food and staying warm
It’s
easy to forget about eating when you’re watching the stall the whole
day. Market trading is tiring work. Eating will make you less grumpy.
Staying caffeinated and warm is also important. Make friends with the
traders around you and ask one of them to watch your stall when you get a
take away from somewhere. Be friendly. Offer to bring people tea or
coffee. Wear good shoes.
4. Don’t scare the customers – but talk to them
This
is something I learned quite early on. Stand outside the stall, that
makes the whole thing less intimidating for people who want to have a
closer look at your product. Let them browse at their own pace, but
always say hi and make eye-contact if you can. Tell them about the
product, but only if they’re in the stall and looking at your lovely
wares.
5. Market traders are doing a tough job so make sure you treat them with respect
Market
traders run small businesses, many of them make or source their own
products. They work their asses off the days they’re not trading and
when they’re doing market days they drag all their stuff to a stall, set
it up in the morning, stand around selling the whole day and then pack
everything down at night. It’s a tough job. Most people who do it
voluntarily like it on some level (even though they moan), otherwise
they wouldn’t be doing it because it’s fucking hard.
Most
of these people are professionals. They and their products should be
treated with respect. A market stall is their shop. Don’t put your pram
in the stall and have a long phone conversation, you’re taking up space
and valuable time. No one will browse through the product when you’re
standing there. Don’t flick through the products like it was total cheap
garbage, this isn’t Primark. Don’t be rude if you’re spoken to, the
traders are just doing their job.
Most customers are great, but some clearly left their manners at home.
6. Market trading can be great – but don’t let that fool you
There
is a certain freedom to the job, You’re your own boss, you choose your
own hours. On good days you can walk home with your pockets stuffed full
of cash. Every time a happy customer walks away it gives you a little
boost. Sometimes you’re so buzzed and happy it’s a bit difficult to
sleep. But market trading is also insecure, your product can work one
day and be totally overlooked the next. You’re depending on the whims of
the market so stay flexible, work on other avenues, have a website and
put your stuff up online. Make sure you have a mailing list, connect
with your customers on Facebook or Twitter. It’s easy to get addicted
to those good market days, but for most traders that won’t be enough to
sustain a business.
7. Have fun
Even
when the weather is shitty, when you’re cold, when no one buys
anything, try to have fun. There are always interesting people to hang
out with. Make friends. Chat about life and listen to all the
interesting stories around you. If you’re spending any time at a market
you’ll be surrounded by the most fascinating, creative and brave people
you’ve ever met in your life."
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