Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Well this is the last week for sales at Markets before Christmas 2012.
Hope stallholders and customers had a wonderful year.
Stallholders take the extra effort to jazz up your stall. Add some decorations.
This is the biggest week retailing for the whole year.
Have a great holiday period.
Back with more hints and tips in the New Year

Christmas Is On Its Way

This is the time of year you really need to set your stall up with 'The Christmas Spirit'. The shops are now decorating for the season. It is worth the effort to spend a little time on your stall. It can be done cheaply. Maybe hanging a few Christmas stocking, a bit of tinsel, a few stars will put the customer in the buying mood.
The 2 month lead up to Christmas should be the most profitable time of the year. So gear yourself up to sell and remember to dress up your stall. Carry stock that is seasonal but do not overstock. Make Christmas packs.  A lot of impulse buying goes on at this time of year.

Fun Selling Shoes

A shoe stallholder at one of the markets I attend was having a laugh. He said a funny thing had just happened to him. He'd decided to sell out a range of joggers he had been selling for $40. A hand written sale sign was made exclaiming the shoes for '$10 a pair'. He didn't expect the first customer to come along to ask if there were plenty of different sizes. The customer asked him to pack up 50 pairs. This was done at the expense of dealing with other customers. Feeling proud of himself said "that will be 50 x $10 = $500". "$500", she said. "Yes" and he repeated the calculation. "Oh I'm so sorry I didn't have my glasses on and thought they were $1 a pair.", she said apologising.  True Story

Stall Holders Required Smith FamilyGoverment House Open Day

Planning is now underway for The Smith Family's Government House Open Day, to be held on Sunday 24th March 2013. 

If you are interested in being an Arts and Crafts Stall Holder please 
email Maree at GovHouse@theearlybird.com.au  
or Phone 02 6126 5900.
The 2012 Open Day was a resounding success, with over 6,000 attendees, raising valuable funds to help Aussie kids in need transform their lives through education.

Take Your Market Business Seriously

I attended a market on the weekend. A new stall had set up. The product doesn't matter but it would require personal contact with potential buyers to sell it. Credibility I feel would be very important as the stallholder was asking buyers to believe the claims about the product without proof that it actually worked.
There were three people (2 girls and 1 guy) working in the stall. Product at the front and they sat at the back amusing themselves with laughter, dancing to a music player, neck massages. Why were they at the market? To amuse themselves or sell product. This was a premium market with a premium rent, they sold very little all day. What I'm saying is when selling your products at a market  treat your market business as a business or you will not succeed. 

What Skills Will I Need When I Start My Market Stall?

The qualities and the skills you should have when running a market stall are:

• Having strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Have good negotiation skills
• Have excellent customer service skills
• Have numeracy skills for dealing with money
• Have energy and enthusiasm
• Be sales focused and be able to promote their market stall creatively.

 Do not worry you will build your skills as you manage your stall.

Brag About It - Featured Stall -

Natural Soy Candles and Melts in a large range of fragrances . Homeware including candle holders, oil burners and much more. All candles and melts are hand poured and highly fragrant.
Party Plans are available.  
Every Wednesday at Penrith Markets NSW. (Undercover area)
Parklea Markets NSW every Saturday and Sunday plus Monday Public Holidays. Stalls 737 - 738


http://www.bragaboutit.com.au

Sweet Feet Impressions - Featured Stall -

 Hi and thanks for your interest on SWEET FEET. 
I say without doubt that I have great pleasure working with babies and young children in the making of Impressions and Sculptures. What started up as a hobby some 35 years ago, (overseas as a lost wax jewellery designer)  has now progressed and become an Independent business;  I am the proud owner of SWEET FEET situated in a suburb of NSW. My commitment is offering our customers unique, creative and very individual sculptures of their babies and young children Hands and Feet.Being independently owned, allow me to select the highest quality products giving a wider choice and options to suit the client. Even after so many sculptures  that I have made, I still experience at the different shapes, sizes and beauty of the little hands and feet moulds that I make.
The happiness of the parents when they collect their products is gratifying.
Best Wishes.
Rosa,
SWEET  FEET  IMPRESSIONS. 
Please contact SWEET FEET:  Mobile: 0433 07770
www.sweetfeetimpressions.com.au 

Find Us:
1st, 2nd and 3rd Saturday every month:
Fairfield Showground Market, Smithfield Road, Prairiewood,
Stand 567  (from 8am to 2pm)

School Holidays And Easter Weekend 6 - 9 April 2012

There are many markets over the Easter Weekend. A couple I can think of Fairfield Markets NSW Easter Saturday. Pareklea Markets NSW Easter Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Have a great day out and it's free. No charge for parking at either of the markets.

Stallholders Should Wear Appropriate Footware

When setting up your stall you should wear proper covering on your feet. It is so easy to drop a table, heavy box, frame work for your stall on your feet. I saw a few weeks back a young girl drop a table on her foot while setting up her stall. Only wearing light sandals she had no protection. Her foot covered in blood and in considerable pain she made a hasty retreat from the market. I don't  know of her outcome but haven't seen her since. Another stallholder complained he nearly cut his foot on piece of glass. When I looked at his feet he was wearing thongs (flip flops).
We all need to protect ourselves as most of us won't get accident pay :-)

Barbara & Meryems 6 years at Fairfield markets

Hard working mother and daughter team, and good friends of mine. It is nice folk like this that make working in a market pleasant. Anyone else like to be featured here come and see me.Terry stall 852 Just Moments in Time

Reasons To Visit Your Local Market

With all the wet weather around let's look at some good reasons to visit local markets.

• Wide variety of goods at affordable prices
• Healthy open air activity all year round
• Sense of community
• Atmosphere
• Dependability
• Individual service
• Environmentally  friendly
• If you are new to an area, it’s a great way to meet local characters, hear local gossip and find out what is important to those who live in the area.
• You’ll find goods that you won’t necessarily find in shopping centres.

If you treat the traders with friendly respect, in most cases they’ll welcome you back like an old friend.

Handy tips:
Don’t confuse markets with car boots.  Car boots are a very different affair.  The major difference being, car booters are private sellers out to make extra cash.  Market traders are business people who are out to make their living.
While haggling over price might be acceptable at a car boot, market traders do not take kindly to this practice.  Don’t believe everything you see on TV.  You wouldn’t haggle over the ticket price of $10.00 in a shop so treat a market stall as an outdoor shop.  If the trader wants to give you a discretionary discount, leave it up to them.
The most annoying question for a market trader is ‘what’s your best price?’  The best price is the one on the ticket!

If you would like to set up as a market trader.
Do your research, talk to traders, find out stall prices, research your product – decide whether you could cope with cold temperatures throughout the winter, business can’t just stop then! It’s not as easy as it looks.

There are different types of markets.
1. City centre markets (sometimes indoors). Sydney's Paddy's Market at Haymarket is a great example. City markets are usually open 4-5 days per week.
2. Weekly town markets, find out from the council or tourist office what day the market is on.  They are usually on one or two days a week.   Eg. Fairfield Markets NSW is on a Saturday all year round. Penrith Markets NSW Wednesdays all year round.Parklea Markets NSW every Saturday and Sunday.
3. Farmer’s Markets are usually on once or twice a month, selling fresh produce straight from the farm.
4. Flea markets might be on the same day as the weekly town market.

Try something different from the everyday shopping malls, visit a market and hopefully you will be pleasantly surprised.

Setting Up A Market Stall For The First Time

Be Prepared
The amount of planning involved takes longer than you think..  There is always room for improvement in how to display your service, how to decorate, how signage is so important to tell customers what you do.  Don’t under estimate the length of time required to prepare for your first day of trading at the market.
Do Your Research
Different markets operate under slightly different rules so it’s worth chatting with the market manager for some advice and tips on how to run a successful market stall.  Daily rates are available to hire a stall but Traders are responsible to fully decorate their stalls.  Unless you are a permanent trader, stalls are usually assigned on the morning of trading day.  So there is a potential you may get turned away if demand far outweighs spaces available.
Signage
Good, large, easy to read signs will make your stall stand out from the rest.  Consider colour schemes, and general décor when dressing your stall so that you maximise impact and attract the most customers on trading day.  Be sure to confirm exact dimensions of your stall before buying equipment such as drapery for decorating to avoid a poor presentation on trading day.
 Display
Always get into the head of your potential customers.  What would most likely draw customers to your stall?  How will you display your products?  Do you plan to drive revenue based on competitive pricing or on the uniqueness of your products?  There are many display stands, market stall supplies, sign and poster providers that can enhance the overall feel and look of your stall.  Example: A market trader who sells handmade cards will benefit from card display stands for the counter top or floor based stands to showcase the products.
 Too Much Clutter
Most customers will only have time to pass by each stall once during their visit, so be sure to stand out from the crowd by having good signage, pricing and explanation of what you do.   Although you may have tons of products you would like to show your customers, extra care is needed to consider placement of each item.  Try not to clutter your stall by randomly placing products all over the table.  Try to be creative by pinning or hanging some products on the side and at the back of your stall.  Spend time to create a warm and welcoming, clutter-free market stall for your customers.

When Booking A Market

There are a number of things that need to be considered when booking into a new market..

• Is anyone else going to be selling similar products? 
• Is the event suitable for your products e.g right target market, handcrafted/handmade items only. 
• How much is the fee?
• Booking form - if possible, double check cancellation/refund Terms and Conditons and any deposit details.
• Is a raffle prize required?
• Is a stand/table provided and if so how large?
• Are there any arrangements for parking and unloading?
• Are directions available to the venue?
• Is there an estimated  number of attendees?
• Advance publicity - how well has the event been advertised? Can you help to display/distribute any flyers etc.?
• Is access to power available if needed?
• Have you exchanged contact numbers in case of any questions or problems either before or on the day?