Crowds At
Last – History tells us that post Christmas trading in Specialty Merchandise
can be better than pre-Christmas trading and this week’s trade has pleased
many. Crowds in the Upper Market on Thursday, Friday and Saturday were reported
to be above recent averages with a number of traders reporting good sales. The
fickle nature of retailing means that not every trader has benefited in sales
although all seem to agree that the buzz is very welcome.
Will It
Last? – the burning question now is how long will the crowds last and will we
get a meaningful boost to sales. A trader said he hoped it would extend past the Australian Open Tennis.
One Trader
said that he had almost forgotten what it was like to get a strong buyer
reaction with large numbers of international and interstate tourists in the
market. Friday was his best trading day of the year.
A Moment of
Silliness – One trader decided to leave the market before the extended closing
time on Friday and had to beep the horn on his van as he drove up the aisle to
warn the thousands of shoppers in RK/RL who were still actively buying. His
neighbours were understandably perplexed and annoyed. As one market person said
– “Where I come from you get praise for considering others but there are
consequences for behaving badly”.
Hello Xenia –
Trader Xenia who suffered a stroke at the market some 16 months ago was a
surprise visitor on Saturday and warmly welcomed by traders
as she progresses with recovery.
Goodbye Kha –
one of our long term traders, past Trader Representative, and absolute
gentleman, Kha Nguyen, will be leaving his stall this weekend. We wish him
every success for the future.
Stall Changes – we understand that the recent instances of stall sales are all reaching conclusion with papers signed or about to be signed.
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