The 600 or so individual
businesses that make up the Queen Vic Market have responsibilities to each
other and it is extremely disappointing when some don’t accept that
responsibility. If you don’t want to be part of the team should you be shown
your marching orders?
There are many different ways
that traders co-operate with each other and present a uniform face. We all
adhere to set trading times so that the customer has a reasonable expectation
of coming to our market and finding the item they are looking for. Or do they?
Yesterday, Saturday 3rd.
December, we received a number of complaints about traders packing early.
Saturday was one of those unusual days in the top end when some traders did
brilliantly, and some very poorly. In fact the majority probably did poorly.
But every trader will have good and bad days. We have an obligation to maintain
a professional shopping environment so that every trader is able to take
advantage of the prevailing conditions for their product range.
One trader yesterday said he
was having a good day right up until 2:30 when his neighbour started packing.
Any overt packing activity sends a clear message to customers – “We are closing”.
Early packing is a business turn-off for every trader in the vicinity.
We are told that the coffee stall
on the corner of K Shed and the top walkway closed at around 12:30 today (Sunday
4th. December). Unless there was some sort of emergency, that is unacceptable.
In the battle for consumer
dollars we have to show why customers should come to our market rather than go
to competing shopping outlets. Unprofessional and selfish behaviour doesn’t
help that cause. Times are tough, but if you can’t handle the bad with the good
at QVM, perhaps you should be somewhere else.
Have Your Say – click here.
COMMENTS:
05/12/2016 08:53:30 Early closing "Before you name and shame, should you have perhaps asked the reason (name removed) why they were closing early.....what about the stallholders that set up late,cars where they should not be, we can go on and on....you must have a degree of Iive and let live,please publish."
Thanks for your input. You are
right - there are other examples of traders doing wrong and we don't want to
turn QVM into a police state. However, the provision of a coffee shop in the
middle of the top end is an important service to customers and those customers
who choose to attend the market and support us deserve that service even if
business is quiet.
Similarly, neighbouring traders who are meeting their commitment
to serving customers, whether business is good or not, deserve the support of
the traders around them.
One of the reasons we all enjoy trading at QVM is because we are
independent businesses, able to make our own choices. However we also have a
responsibility to our customers and our fellow traders. We need to show them respect because without them, independence counts for
nothing. - Ed