Heard Under The Sheds – 13/16/2016

Christmas Trading – Thursday’s after-market Information Hub meeting included a review of plans for Christmas trading including the late night Friday shopping and trading on the Tuesday public holiday after Christmas.

Full details will be out shortly but there are expansive plans to market the Friday night late trading opportunity. Trading hours will be a feature of future market plans and it will be interesting to see how this initiative works at a very busy time of year as we embrace local shoppers and city workers/dwellers.

The initial reaction from top-end traders is that we need to trade on the Tuesday following Christmas although it appears unlikely that fresh food will join the activity.

Theft of Watches In Top-end – a couple of teenagers took off with a display box of watches from one of our traders on Peel St. on Saturday. The thieves were too quick with their escape despite a number of traders giving chase.

Fortunately one of those traders insisted that the stallholder join him in a vehicle search of nearby streets and the culprits were apprehended a short distance from the market. Their backpack was recovered along with the case of watches and a number of other items stolen from the market. 

Perseverance paid off in this instance and the recent spate of brazen thefts from retail businesses may be a warning for all traders to watch their security and to support their neighbours in that process.

Trading Hours – another subject discussed at Thursday’s after-market session involved market trading hours and the confusion they cause for customers. The QVM website gives prime emphasis to trading hours on its main page.

One suggestion was to simplify the message and say that the market was open every day except Monday and Wednesday although even that simplification is inaccurate during night market seasons.

It was generally agreed that 7 day trading would ultimately relieve the confusion with the usual condition that no single trader would be obliged to trade 7 days.

Queen Street Closure - and finally from Thursday's information session, there was a request from fishmonger Con to review the decision to close Queen St. to vehicles on Saturday morning. Queen St. has been closed on Saturday mornings as part of a move to enhance pedestrian traffic in the middle of the market and remove possible conflict between vehicles and pedestrians.
Some meat and deli hall traders claim that business has suffered since customers have been unable to park in Queen St. Discussion centred around other possible causes for business fluctuation, particularly a different weather pattern in 2016. It was pointed out that customers still had the convenience of parking in the nearby market car park.

Have Your Say - click here.

COMMENTS:
14/11/2016 13:23:50 Queen Street closure "For many years the parking in Queen Street on a Saturday added to the hustle and bustle of a vibrant market. There use to be rules about the parking being for shoppers, not traders, but allas, as has happened with many rules around the market, these have not been inforced. Closure is the simple answer but at a cost to traders. Whats wrong with enforcing rules, they are there for a purpose."
- Karl ADK 1950
Thanks for your input Karl - Ed.