Good News /
Bad News – This week’s Night Market seemed to get the thumbs up from
participants but trade for the Day Market has been very patchy with some reasonable
reports from Thursday. Friday’s heat saw many absentees and, despite better
weather over the weekend, trade has been very slow. One trader said that there
is a dark mood in the trader ranks at present.
One trader
who braved Friday’s heat said the temperature wasn’t so much of a problem but the
strong winds were quite destructive.
A customer
complained that she couldn’t get the ATM’s to work properly – turned out she
was trying to insert a parking ticket in the ATM.
Toilet
complaint – The Toilets at the top of String Bean Alley are copping a number of
complaints with one trader saying he had talked to management about the poor impression
left on international tourists with our third world facilities. The ladies
toilet in that block broke down twice over the weekend to add to the difficulties.
(Comment from QVM Management - QVM management are currently looking into improvement works for the toilets at the top of String Bean Alley. We would encourage traders to report any maintenance issues to QVM facilities on 0418 222 119 or facilities@qvm.com.au. For urgent or after hours issues contact security on 0414 550 451.)
(Comment from QVM Management - QVM management are currently looking into improvement works for the toilets at the top of String Bean Alley. We would encourage traders to report any maintenance issues to QVM facilities on 0418 222 119 or facilities@qvm.com.au. For urgent or after hours issues contact security on 0414 550 451.)
A trader
returned from an overseas trip and says he is looking forward to a fresh take
on things after clearing his mind of work and taking a new look at priorities.
A trader
said that if the current Australian cricket team can win a test with an innings
to spare (Australia v Sri Lanka in Brisbane) then anything is possible.
A tennis fan
from Spain was saying that he enjoyed our market (“It is so big”) and that back
home markets were very much a community thing - “Markets are in our blood."
COMMENTS:
29/01/2019
20:11:52 Heat "Greg heat of the sort experienced last week and expected this
coming weekend is indeed a problem on many levels. 1) problems with stock i.e.
soaps make up and food. 2)there is a heat policy for older traders but when it
is extreme it should be available to all. 3) fruit and veg rotting etc and last
but not least NO CUSTOMERS prepared to
brave 38 plus temps!!!!! Your comments PLEASE."
Yes, weather
extremes are a problem at many levels and climate change may require a new
look. The new 1:00pm heat policy is welcome, particularly when we see that peak
heat appears to occur later in the day, and those who brave the conditions do
get trading opportunities earlier in the day.
“NO
CUSTOMERS” - not really, because tourists in particular will always turn up.
And that is the cruncher for us. Local shoppers can choose to shop another day
but tourists on itineraries don’t always have that choice. We need to be there
for them, and when I say “We” I mean those traders whose products and fitness
levels allow them to trade. Generally
those traders will tell you they do OK on extreme heat days. However, I wouldn’t want to be a senior trader
selling chocolate fudge.
Thanks for raising the issue - Ed.
