A number of Traders were happy with trade
during the special Monday pre-Christmas market, saying the “buzz” was clearly
evident.
“Just like the good old days” - was the
comment from some Traders as the volume of international and interstate
tourists rose and sales spiked following the Christmas/Boxing Day break.
Return of cash - the influx of tourists
brought a rise in cash payments rather than card, with many traders running out
of change. One Trader suggested it was the once-a-year travellers adopting old
habits whereas seasoned travellers have pretty much converted to electronic payments.
“Let’s not get too excited” said a Trader.
“We might have a bit of a sales spike, but it is coming off a very low base. There is
still a lot of work to do.”
A Trader asks why we can’t have a Black
Friday sale at the market. Black Friday is not exclusively online and has
clearly become a key component of the global annual sales program.
Siren’s at the market. Police and Ambulance
sirens are common around our city but this one from an antique fire truck
caught plenty of attention up on Peel St.
Our bad (but irresistible) joke of the week
– “Did you hear the Traders Lounge was supposed to be getting a gym? Sorry, it
didn’t work out”.
One Trader is mystified by the number of
post Christmas stall vacancies around the Upper Market. “Don’t Traders
understand that post Christmas can be better than pre Christmas at QVM as
tourists hit town for the holidays?”
A customer from Hong Kong said it was nice to shop in Melbourne without the fear of the protests that have seriously interrupted retail trade in his home city.