Saturday 16 June 2012

Is It Time to Consider New Trading Times?

The Queen Victoria Market has been around for a long, long time and many of its traditional features have lasted well but our customers seem to be telling us that our trading times need revision.
We have all experienced that lull in the morning as we wait for customers to turn up. Over recent years customers seem to be coming to the market later and over the same period city shops have moved from 9:00am to 10:00am starts. QVM management have.....cont'd




conducted a number of surveys with traders in an attempt to get some uniformity across the market and reduce the confusion for customers.
Broadly, attempts at uniformity have been unsuccessful and there is a very good reason for that. Traders in a market that is dominated by individual small business, most of whom have to set up and pack up each day, experience unique and complex issues in running their businesses.  We have a lot to think about when it comes to trading hours – questions of business logistics, business flexibility and lifestyle all come into consideration. Those issues need to be balanced with any benefits that may flow from adjusting our hours to accommodate customers.
Let’s make something clear up front. We are not proposing any particular change in hours. We are proposing a healthy debate on the issue to see if a change should be considered. In the past, a number of traders have complained that we pack up too early on at least some trading days. Others have complained that different hours each day is just too confusing. What do you think? Are we out of touch with consumers? Should we start later? Should we finish later? Should we make any change? If we did change hours what other aspects of running our businesses would need to change? There are many questions. Please join the debate
Melbourne City Shopping Hours:

Please enter a comment on our website, send us an email, send a letter to the market office, or leave a note with your trader representative. Our website will keep this issue at the top of the page so that you can check on the latest input from traders.
COMMENTS:
04/06/2012 20:29:57 "9 to 4  everyday"

04/06/2012 20:30:38 "9am until 4 pm every day trading"

 04/06/2012 20:37:32 "9:00-3:00 will be nice"

04/06/2012 21:14:43 It makes sense to be consistent to avoid confusion for customers. It is sure that a lot of traders would complain as they are more likely to be caught in traffice if we were to have normal trading hours, but what are we here for? making a living or living in a comfort zone not making a living? We should do what is is best for what we are here to do and that is making a living. I do think there are more pressing issues that need to be dealt with other than the opening hours at the market, solve those issues first and then talk about the minor things.

04/06/2012 22:58:36 "I've just checked our trading times on QVM website it reads
Weekdays
Trading Hours
Tue: 6am - 2pm
Thu: 6am - 2pm
Fri: 6am - 5pm
(general merchandise to 4pm)

Weekends
Trading Hours
Sat: 6am - 3pm
Sun: 9am - 4pm

I think it's misleading. How many general merchandise traders are ready at 6am to serve customers. Almost NOBODY I reckon. We are ready around 9am On the other hand, fruit and veggie traders are ready around that time (6am).  So the best way should be advertising trading hours for each section differently.
In shopping centers, they have coffees, cinema, fitness club, restaurants and some other have different opening time to the rest. We can do the same.
Moreover if general traders open everyday from 9-3 except Sunday (9-4) it'd be easier to remember for customers, especially first time visitor.
Henry" current trading times is confusing

05/06/2012 11:11:14 EVERYONE SEEMS TO HAVE THEIR OPINION AND COMPLAINTS..EVERYONE SEEMS TO HAVE THE ANSWER.HOW ABOUT COMING OUT OF THE SHADOW AND VOICING YOUR CONCERNS AND PUTTING YOUR NAME BEHIND IT.MANAGEMENT ARE STILL NOT TAKING THINGS SERIOUS ENOUGH AS WE DON;T HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE COMING FORWARD..WE WANT TO WORK WITH MANAGEMENT TO CHANGE WHAT'S NECESSARY..THEIR CULTURE NEEDS TO CHANGE..HOW ABOUT PEOPLE STOP BEING CLOSET GOSSIPS AND DO IT PROPERLY SO WE CAN ACHIEVE THE NECESSARY CHANGES NEEDED. OF COURSE  HOURS NEED TO CHANGE..OF COURSE MONEY NEEDS TO BE SPENT IMMEDIATELY ON THE TOURIST SECTOR(LOOK WHAT THE WEEK BROUGHT FOR MANY WITH ALL THE ADDED SPORTS ACTIVITIES).MANY HAD GOOD WEEKS. DOESNT THAT PROVE A POINT.THERE IS SO MUCH POTENTIAL WHEN WE HAVE THE RIGHT PEOPLE COME OUR WAY.GET OFF YOUR BUMS AND COME FORWARD TO THE REPRESENTATIVES AND HELP PUSH THE CHANGES...WITH THE INCREASE IN CRITISM AND OPINIONS IN THE LAST 3 MONTHS I FIND IT SURPRISING WE DON'T HAVE MANAGEMENT OUT AND ABOUT TALKING TO THE STALL HOLDERS..THE MARKET IS NOT AN OFFICE JOB.IT'S HANDS ON.. TO ALL TRADERS

05/06/2012 18:16:50 trading should be same everyday 7am to 3pm  trader times                      
                                                              
06/06/2012 10:10:48 My comfort brain says 10-4 each day and my business brain says we should at least trial 10-7 on Fridays. Trading Hours 

11/06/2012 10:32:25 Let's move the day back for general merchantdise - say, 10am - 4pm but be consistant and have the same times every day.  Fruit and Veg could stay with an early start but we don't have to be wasting time and money for 2 - 3 hrs before people start to arrive.  Trading Hours

 12/06/2012 11:16:09 I think even more confusing for customers is trying to find stall holders who are located in different spots every day! In all honest, i lose faith in management doing anything so until they change management, i think we are wasting our time in making any comments on anything, in the end none of these topics relate to the core issues that the QVM general merchandise area is having! trading times