You may call it a checklist but we call it don’t leave home without your own essential items!
As a general rule, there are a number of essential items that market traders should always take with them to market or to an event. You will have your own Check List that is specific to your business but forget any one of your essential items once and you probably won’t do it again. Every stall will have different requirements. Here is a comprehensive list of stuff from which you can create your own must-haves.
With everything else you have to worry about on market day, having your own penned-out checklist ready to consult is one of the most valuable things to have. Take 10 minutes to create one, printing off and sticking up somewhere that you can mentally check off. It will save you a ton of time in the long run. I can’t tell you how many times have I forgotten my handbag and had to go back home for it, all because I didn’t have it on my checklist!
High Stool
A stool that is high enough for you to be at eye level with your customer is ideal because you can be sitting (or perching on) and it won’t seem like you are sitting down which as you know, doesn’t look good. After one market of not being able to sit down and take the weight off, you will realise the importance of this vital accessory.
This one is excellent as it folds away easily and doesn’t take up too much space: Folding High Stool
Table Cloth
Forgetting to take a table cloth is like going on a long walk in flip-flops. It can be overcome, but you will feel uncomfortable all day. Usually, your table cloth is part of your brand identity. The cloth fits in with your business colours and everything on your stall is cohesive and paints a specific brand picture. Or it should. Discombobulated is a word that perfectly with forgetting one’s tablecloth. Don’t ask me how I know this.
We love these oilcloths as they are easy to wipe clean at the end of the day: Oilcloth Tablecloth
Check Weather Forecast
Before going forth unto any outdoor market the weather forecast is critically scrutinised by stallholders. Every single time. Rain means wellies and waterproofs, sun means sunglasses and shorts, wind means layers and weights, snow means stay at home.
Bring Protective Sheets and Weights
Once you have seen that inclement weather is on its way, bring your protective side sheets and/or weights. We usually keep our side sheets in the vehicle all the time. Having these protective side sheets erected onto the side of your stall to prevent rain from coming onto your stall and ruining your stock is one of the most useful pieces of equipment that we ever purchased.
Take a look: Protective Tarpaulin Sheets
If you are using a gazebo and you don’t have any other way of tying your structure down, weights are essential. Even though the extra poundage of weights is extremely heavy, always err on the side of caution and use them. If you get the empty bags that you fill yourself they are much cheaper. They are designed to be filled with sand but if you are not near a convenient beach you can fill them with gravel. Each leg will take around 20kg in weight.
Check it out: Heavy Duty Gazebo Weights
Card Reader
Card Readers amount to more than 50% of sales and without one you will seriously lose potential business. The one card reader that we recommend is Zettle by Paypal that we have used for a number of years. It recently changed its name from iZettle after this Swedish company was acquired by Paypal in 2018 but both companies run as separate entities still. Zettle takes a flat 1.75% commission from every face-to-face sale, whereas PayPal takes 2.75% to 1% dependent on your monthly sales.
Float
What float you are likely to need will depend on your price structure. If you are charging items that include pennies in the price, then you will have to have a complete range of monies right down to pennies. This is extremely heavy to carry with you at each market. If your prices are anything with 99p e.g. £3.99, then you will just need pound coins, notes and a few pennies to give as change. Or 95p, just a few five pence pieces, pounds and notes. We charged £4 per item, specifically with giving change in mind, so we only needed pound coins, a couple of fivers and a couple of tenners to start the day off with. Now, with the acceptance of card payments, change shouldn’t really be an issue and a £40 float would be enough for our pricing structure.
Extra Layer
Our dear friend, Marion, the Honey Lady, would always say “Ne’er cast a clout ’till May is out.” Meaning don’t rely on the English weather until after the cool winds of May and always bring a coat with you to market. In fact, she would always titter at me when I complained about the unexpected cold weather and not have an extra coat to put on. Always have a backup layer. I do actually possess rather a lot of coats because of the times that I have had to buy another one from a nearby charity shop.
Stock
Forgetting to take your stock to a market does seem a bit nutty and unlikely but trust me, it isn’t. Just try to remember that last box under the stairs that you thought someone else put in your vehicle. Check and double-check.
Tables
I was going to say that I have never forgotten to take a table with me to market until I remembered the time that I arrived at a market without either a table or a gazebo because I thought that they were supplied with the cost of the stall. Luckily the market organiser had a spare one, so all was not lost.
For a 6ft Folding Trestle Table take a look here: 6ft Table
Gazebo
Sometimes you don’t bring a gazebo because you were unaware that you needed one in the first place. For new events or markets, check what you have paid for and make a note of it in your diary for that date. As a rule, stallholders sign up for a whole year’s worth of events at the beginning of the year and it is unlikely that you will remember the details of each event. Some just supply tables, some are indoors, some include a gazebo, etc. All events are subtly different with variations in requirements and offerings. If in doubt, take one.
Take a look at this gazebo, best for price: Heavy-duty 3mx3m Gazebo
Lunch snacks
It may seem odd to suggest taking food as there should be food available at the venue you are going to, right? Not always. We have attended some little craft fairs in a village hall that the organisers were so focused on getting the right craft stalls that they entirely forgot to find some food offerings too. The stallholders were starving! Mind you, it is a good idea to bring something with you because lunchtime is when everybody else is hungry and you may not have time to queue along with everyone else for food.
Signage / Branding
Your banner, price signs, A-board, Blackboard, and announcement boards. Just on this image of our stall, you can see we actually remembered these.
Market Tool Box
Having a special market box where you put in every small item that you may need one day is incredibly useful. Ours would have in:
- Bungees / Clips – incredibly useful. Remember to write your name on the clips as they do tend to disappear when you forget to collect them!
- Stationery, including pens, note pad, scissors, tape, blue tack
- Business cards
- Calculator
Packaging
Bags and wrapping. However, you package your product at the point of sale. From paper bags to stickers to wrapping paper.
Hand Washing
If you sell food, you will need to consider your handwashing facilities. You can either just bring a flask with hot water and a bowl and hand wash or go all out and get a professional chef portable hand washing kit. Some Environmental Health Requirements will insist on a professional kit but if you are selling low-risk items it is unlikely this will be a requirement.
Paperwork
- Insurance: Whatever insurance you use, it is often useful to have a copy with you, either on your phone or a physical copy.
- Personal Alcohol Licence and Temporary Event Notice (TEN): If applicable, you will need both of these documents with you at every event.
- PAT Certificate: You will usually need these certificates when you bring electrical items onto events to ensure they are functioning as they should. You don’t want to be the one who blows the electric for the whole event!
- Gas Certificate: As above but for your gas bottles on site.
- Food Hygiene Certificate: Not actually needed but a copy on your phone may be useful if you come across a jobsworth.
- Allergens List: Required f you are selling consumable items to the public.
- Risk Assessment: This won’t apply to your regular market but for other larger events a risk assessment will be asked for prior to the event itself. It will be expected that you carry this with you. A picture on a phone should suffice. See example.
| Risk Identified | To Whom / Risk Level (if Unmanaged) | Risk Management Measures |
|---|---|---|
| Gazebo: [Where Applicable] Potential Collapse | The general public, contractors and event staff. Medium Risk | – All gazebos will be installed by the gazebo owner who will inspect them once erected. – Owner will ensure they are properly fixed to the ground and weighted down. – Gazebos are flame-retardant. |
| Table Covering: Trip hazard | General public, event staff. Low Risk | -Table coverings will be inspected for trip hazards and properly tied back out of the way. |
| Boxes under Table: Trip hazard | Event staff. Low Risk | – Boxes and bags will be correctly tidied away under the table. – Event staff will ensure the boxes do not hinder or impede their movement around the stall. |
| Extreme Weather Conditions: High wind resulting in structure collapse, Lightening or torrential rain. | The general public, contractors and event staff. High Risk | – Event staff will regularly monitor weather forecasts. – In extreme conditions, it may be necessary to consider postponement or total abandonment of the event. |
Taster pots
If you are offering tasters of your products. Rather than allowing folk to just dive into a tater pot, it may be more appropriate now to offer tasters via tongs, etc.
Perspex Sneeze Guards
When selling uncovered food items you may want to consider using sneeze guards. Quite expensive to start with, but if you can keep them clean and unbroken, they will be useful in more ways than one! It will stop folk from just sticking their hands into your food items too. Yes, really!
Check this one out, it is made specifically for outdoor market stall use, and is designed so that it doesn’t blow away with a little puff of wind and they are quite light. See what you think: Sneeze Guard
Lights
Trading during the winter months will mean dark days. Even if you have to pay extra for electricity on your stall, do consider getting lights. Your sales will increase when customers can see what they are buying.
Check out this Portable LED Rechargeable Floodlight that you can use to charge your phone too: Portable Light
Decorations / Display
Whatever ‘mood’ and branding you select for your stall you will need to take your decorations to every event. When I first started trading in 2005, I was very keen and used a whole heap of props that I thought would look good, from old-fashioned scales and weights to baskets and ladders. After a few years of carting all these props around with me, I gradually got rid of them, streamlining my stall to make my life easier. It was only when one stallholder told me that my stall looked “Dull, Dull, Dull, Dull, Dull!” I think he may have been having a bad day but he was absolutely correct. My want to make my life easier meant that my brand suffered and my stall looked boring. Lesson learned.
Mirror / Hanging Rails
If you are selling clothing, jewellery, handbags or hats you will need a mirror. Hanging rails and perhaps a pop-up changing tent too if appropriate. See this Pop Up Changing Tent
Kitchen Towel / Sanitiser / Mask
These are always useful to have with you on a stall but even more important now.
Awards
If you have any awards that show you are an authority on something that is relevant to your stall, display it proudly. You may have won the award for best craftsperson that year – show it off! If you won the best tasting marmalade in the North East, shout about it!
Camera / Phone
Obviously, remember your phone but you may also want to take pictures for your social media and marketing efforts too.
Phone Charger
This may sound a bit excessive but if you are at a busy show all day, taking card payments through your Card Reader and Phone, you may well need to charge either of these items. These are brilliant: Portable Power Bank
Trolley or Sack Truck
I struggled for years before it occurred to me to get myself a trolley. If you get a trolley you will be able to start packaging items in boxes and you will be able to transport a few at a time and that will lessen the number of trips you need to get stuff from your vehicle. Particularly useful at the end of an event when you have sold out and you can stack boxes inside each other and put your whole stall on a trolley and wheel off the show in one go. This means you will be one of the first to leave thus avoiding the exit queues! This one looks good: Sack Truck
Handbag or Wallet
Last but not least, remember your handbag or check your pockets for your wallet and phone, etc. You wouldn’t want to leave home without your lippy, would you?
Happy Trading!