Some
renewal decisions will impact significantly on the livelihoods of traders and
the question will often be asked - "Does the management decision maker
have the necessary experience and understanding to reach the right
conclusion?" Traders believe they hold the high ground on many issues, and
inevitably conflict will arise, but there is a solution.
There
are many questions that traders will claim as their territory. These are
questions that require on the ground understanding - questions that only a
seasoned trader could evaluate - questions that go beyond standard retail
industry training - questions that can't be answered from an ivory tower or by
some shopping centre trained executive. These are all unfair characterisations
of our professional market management team but there have certainly have been a
number of incorrect assumptions made by ill-informed observers of our market in
the past.
One
of the classic assumptions is that we have too many souvenir stalls selling
cheap trinkets. Of course it is not the trader who decides the content of their
stock range. That is decided by customers in the normal demand and supply
equation. Koori Connection (the shop on Victoria St.) sold some wonderful
genuine indigenous created products with a price premium that international
souvenir buyers ultimately found too expensive for their needs. We do have a
lot of souvenir stalls, but we also have a lot of tourists visiting our market,
and the smiles on the faces of the buyers is matched only by the smiles on the
faces of souvenir traders as they deposit their takings every Monday morning.
It is no accident that, in a depressed business selling market, souvenir stalls
still attract a good sale price at QVM.
Trader
Performance Assessments is another area that questions the credentials of those
making decisions. How could a non-trader understand all the ingredients that
make up a good trader. It is easy to be seduced by stall appearance but a
trader understands the complex economic impact of stall set-up, product
selection and presentation. It does require experience and knowledge to get all
those ingredients right, to maximise the customer offer and also maximise
profitability. We want our market to look good but we also want sustainable
market traders who are meeting the needs of their customers. It should be
stressed here that we are not looking for excuses for slack untidy presentation
or poor customer service. Those ingredients are not acceptable at QVM. It
should also be noted that the Trader Performance Assessment proposal does
include input from the trader.
There
are many other areas where traders question decision making -
-
New trader selection.
-
Incubation monitoring.
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Stall allocations.
-
Disciplinary action.
-
Marketing expenditure.
-
And so on.
The
solution? The one ingredient that will give traders more faith in these
important aspects of decision making is to include traders in the process. A
panel that selects new traders should include a trader(s). A panel that
proposes action based on a Trader Performance Assessment should include a
trader(s). Suitable disciplinary action for rule transgressors should include
participation from a trader(s). QVM needs a disputes procedure so that
challenged decisions can be referred to an evaluation panel that includes
traders.
QVM
is heading into a very difficult renewal period. Uncertainty breeds anxiety and
frustration. Giving traders more involvement in their future, and more
certainty, would seem to be a very desirable outcome for everybody.
