Caricaturist’s
license suspended- when we asked Ivano if we could announce
his departure from QVM he said on condition that we used this provocative
heading. In fact Ivano is taking a European sabbatical, getting back to some of the environments where he
first started caricaturing and incidentally where he used to be offered rent
free spots at markets because of the uniqueness he brought to the mix. We will
miss the “professor” and his educated perspective on market matters. We are
already looking forward to his return and wish him all the best.
 |
| No spare seats here - E Shed Food Court Sunday 24th March 2pm |
“You
can lead a horse to water, but........” -
one trader’s response to Sunday’s crowd in the Upper Market. There were
plenty of people, queues at many food outlets, and a variety of tourists. For some traders the buzz did not translate
to sales, for others it was OK and in these tough times OK is most welcome.
Customers
reported a big crowd down at the Food & Wine Festival on Southbank over the
weekend.
A
positive forecast from one trader who says the racing cars have gone, the AFL jumpers
are out, and now we can expect a build in sales towards Easter.
RMIT
marketing student liaisons with traders have started and expectations are high
that linking high tech students with usually low tech traders might just get
some interesting results. This is all part of a program run by the Small Business Mentors.
A
trader remarked that Night Market trading is great but it is very nice to have
a two week break. (The Summer Night Market season finished this Wednesday.) He is expecting to look a little more presentable on a
Thursday morning, at least for two weeks. The Europa Night Market re-commences on
10th April.
A
trader from the Upper Market who relies on locals tells us that most days he
could go home at noon without much impact on sales. His customers generally do
morning shopping for food and visit him on their way out. His neighbour on the
other hand relies on tourists and he expects more consistent sales throughout
the day often with a rush at the end.
One
trader’s sales philosophy - “Know when to step in, know when to step back, read
their mood, don’t push, but always be helpful, and when they can’t decide say
“Don’t worry, I’ll be here next time you come in.”” He adds, “usually they do
come back.”
A trader is impressed by the number of traders handing out recyclable paper carry bags. He was initially concerned by the higher cost of paper but says customers will often refuse a paper bag and choose to use the bags they already have. He didn't experience that refusal when using plastic bags.
Have Your Say - click here.