Heard Under The Sheds – 1/4/2018

Heard Under The Sheds – 1/4/2018

Betty Jennings Appointed To Board – Following a proposal by a candidate for Melbourne Lord Mayor it was announced today that trader Betty Jennings had been appointed to the QVM Board. Chairman Paul Guerra said the Board welcomed the appointment of such an experienced trader and looked forward to working with her in the many issues facing our market.

Heritage Decision Dominates Discussion – the decision by Heritage Victoria not to approve the dismantling of sheds for the underground construction has dominated discussion under the sheds this week. Comments like “So it is all over now” and “Just a little road bump in the process” are almost certainly both wrong. The City of Melbourne has announced it will appeal the decision and ensure that the renewal process survives. On the other hand, further delays are likely to impact on those most vulnerable – we market traders.

Dummy Spit – a trader (OK, it was the editor of Victraders) has announced that a complaints box will be installed at his stall and a fee structure introduced for traders who wish to complain particularly about management, CoM, State Government, or Heritage Victoria. The fees have been inspired by our car park charges – the first complaint will be free, the second will incur a fee of $5, and subsequent complaints will be charged at $10 each. Complaints disguised as statements will still be charged the full rate.

Traders Leaving – two more traders left the Upper Market this week and a third has indicated he will leave next week. This may be a peak time for departures with traders thinking seriously about their future over the Christmas break, implementing their stock clearance, and finally leaving. Let’s hope they all have suitable alternatives in place.

Alternatives To The Underground – a number of traders have suggested that if the multi-million dollar underground doesn’t go ahead then perhaps weather proofing, including roofs over String Bean Alley,  F Shed and A Shed laneway could be put at the top of the list.

Cricket On The Nose – traders often joke about having a game of cricket in empty stall spaces but after the Australian Test Team ball tampering debacle this week one trader has suggested that Badminton might be less controversial.

Meetings Galore – apparently CEO Stan Liacos is involved in around 15 small group trader meetings organised by Trader Representatives to discuss a huge variety of market matters. It is all part of his desire to get a quick handle on trader attitudes and wishes. Talk to your Trader Representative if you wish to know more. We look forward to the CEO’s findings.

You Wouldn’t Want To Be Anywhere Else – no matter what the business levels, we traders can be continuously surprised by the variety of customers who attend our stalls. One of our traders who gets to talk with his customers a bit more than most had the following customers in rapid succession last Sunday – a Drag Queen from NZ, a professional Bull Rider, and a Female Detective and Academic from Adelaide. True story.

Rent Confusion For Casual Traders – There was a suggestion in this column last week that casuals could pay their rent at the time of allocation so they knew what they were paying for. Trader Steve has suggested that verbal advice of the rent amount could be given to the trader at the time or a text/email could be sent to the trader so that it is on record. QVM has the amount on record but traders don’t, and that is the cause for concern when casual traders are trying to balance different stalls on different days at different rents.

Have Your Say – click here.

COMMENTS:

02/04/2018 20:06:59      Dummy Spit "Can you elaborate on the fees charged for your Dummy spit box.

Will the moneys raised go to charity or do you have to declare the proceeds to the ATO as a secondary source of income.

Will there be a discount offer for regular contributors?

Am I able to get a receipt to claim back as a business expense?

Some times we just need an avenue to vent our frustrations and i'm happy to pay for the therapy ."
Actually just publishing that item has been very cathartic. I think you are right, sometimes we just need to vent a bit. It worked for me. Thanks for your input - Ed.