Market Stall Etiquette is about good manners. On a Market there are rules and then there are unspoken rules. Here we are going to look at some behaviours that are accepted and some that are not. The success of a market is the sum of its parts and traders are there to make an honest living from their individual stall. Many traders have strong characters due to the very nature of what they do, so living and working in harmony alongside each other will take some awareness.
Do Not Encroach onto other Stalls
The easiest way to cause animosity is if your stock overlaps onto another stall. Everyone has paid the same for their stall and wants their whole stall space and will work within the constraints of the space they have booked. If the stall lay-out means there is a walkway between stalls, keep these clear and be wary of putting breakable stock right up to the edges because as people walk by, you could have all of your stock getting caught and breaking.
Never poach another stall’s customer, do not join a conversation with another stall’s customer and do not to speak to potential customers until they come within the boundaries of your own stall. Once they have passed by the stall next to you, they are yours to sell to, but NEVER if they are in front of your neighbours stall. Pinching others’ customers is obviously a big negative! Enthusiastic, new traders sometimes don’t tend to understand this basic courtesy, though fellow stallholders will soon put them right but only after the damage has been done.
hawker1
noun
a person who travels about selling goods, typically advertising them by shouting
Being allocated a pitch next to someone who is a hawker is the worst experience! Not only do they pinch any customers that you might have had browsing by your stall but many who may have wanted to visit your stall will give them a wide berth. So you lose either way. Either speak to them directly or have a word with the market manager. A large percentage of markets do not allow this any more and will ask them to stop or get them to leave.
Visual blocking is annoying. Your business success will depend on customers seeing your stall from the sides as well as the front. If your neighbour erects a barrier on their stall, like an A-board on top of their table, there is not much you can do about it, particularly if it forms part of their display. However, if they display a board on the ground outside their stall and it prevents customers from approaching your stall easily, then you can ask them to move it. They should understand why. Many markets are disallowing any form of visual or physical blocking for this very reason.
Be aware of your neighbour’s need to sell their wares as much as you do!
Unloading and Loading
Unloading and Loading times can be fraught with road rage, impatience and exasperation! However, on an established market with experienced stallholders, it can be like an elegant dance, with seemingly askew cars and vans, boxes, crates and clothes rails pirouetting, spinning, twirling, joggling for half an hour’s frenzy, until the last vehicle drives off to the car park and calm is restored. New stall holders are recommended to find out the best time to arrive at a market and get there as early as they can. Unloading is not the time for faffing around. It needs to be done quickly and your car needs to make way for the next person unloading. Remember, nobody is there to help you unload. Everyone has their own affairs to concentrate on and need to get on with it in an efficient fashion. If the market starts at 9am, all stalls must be ready to trade by the opening time!
Top tip: when unloading, the first thing to put on your table is your tablecloth. All your boxes and crates can be put on top and dealt with once you have parked your car. Trying to get your tablecloth on after your stock has been put on the table makes your life much more difficult.
Do not worry about leaving your stock while you go and park. It is the market managers role to oversee this time and there will always be other stallholders around to keep an eye on your stock. Don’t leave your float on the table though, have that with you at all times.
Market Rigger / Manager / Supervisor
On the day of the market there is generally a Market Manager on site. Whether they be a representative from the council or from the private company organising your market. These folk should become your new best friends. It is in your best interests to get on with the manager. They will have your back if you come across any difficulties and they will sort out any disputes between stallholders. A good market manager will be assertive and have their market running like clockwork. Each market will have its own by-laws in place according to the peculiarities of the venue, like don’t park here or A-boards are not allowed or late arrivals are not allowed to bring their vehicle onto the market, and it is worth finding out about these before you violate them!
Sometimes being next to a particular stall can affect your sales. Any stalls that have a particularly pungent smell, like a fish stall, a curry or frying stall. Usually, a good market organiser will be aware of this and place their stalls appropriately, but it is not always possible. If you are unhappy about being next to a stall that conflicts with your goods, you can always ask to move. If that is not possible then it is up to you to decide if this particular market is for you.
Do bring enough float with you at the beginning of the day. Sometimes we forget to bring adequate change, and we ask fellow colleagues to help us out but don’t do it regularly. Your fellow stallholders have gone to the trouble of going to the bank themselves and bringing enough change for their needs – but they are not there to supply your banking needs.
When stallholders purchase anything from each other’s stalls, we tend to give each other discounts. Not a lot, just a token, to recognise that they are a fellow trader. 5-10% is an acceptable amount. New stallholders don’t tend to know about this unspoken gesture and it’s not a problem, just know that it is a generally done thing. Swapsies for like-for-like goods are also done, particularly on food markets where stock would go to waste otherwise.
Getting on with your neighbouring stallholders makes a slow day go much faster. Not only can you entertain each other with stories or make each other aware of other markets and events that might be good opportunities, they will look after your stall if you need to go off and buy a coffee or use the toilet. And you for them too.
Support Your Fellow Trader
There are some customers that are objectionable. Very few indeed but you may sometimes come across one. If that happens you will notice that you have the full support of other stallholders and likewise if you see a customer giving grief to one of your colleagues, get involved and support your friend, even if it is just by standing by them.
If you become a regular at a market you will usually retain the same pitch and your neighbour will become a friend. Leaving your money on the stall is generally ok and your fellow stallholders will keep an eye out for you but cover up your money box and don’t make it too obvious should an opportunist happen by. Always take your large notes with you when you pop off, leaving adequate change in the event of a sale. Even though your neighbour will keep half an eye on your stall, their primary focus is on their own sales and it is not their responsibility to look after your money box and your sales when you are not there.
Don’t ever join in a conversation with your neighbour’s customer or try to sell them your wares. Never speak negatively to a customer about any of the other stalls on a market. Ever. The expression ‘what goes around comes around’ must have been invented on a market. If a customer speaks negatively about another stall, listen but don’t comment. Unless you can turn their objection into a positive, say nothing.
Finding Your Next Market
Finding your next market is usually through word of mouth. All stallholders talk to each other and you will learn most of your information through each other. When someone is new on a market other stallholders will look after you and let you know the local knowledge such as, where the best loos or coffee shops are (usually the same place!) or the best parking spots in the area. The more charming that you are, the more charming other stallholders will be back to you. It is the way of the world!