TheaterFire

Are entry fees for a market absurd?

Posted by Mundane-Reindeer2975@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 474 comments

Local market charging £3 for entry. Maybe I am being a cheapskate but don't I find the concept of paying to get into a market so you can shop just absurd.

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474 Comments

Previous-Ad7618@reddit

Local traders: *its £3 to buy nothing* Local traders: *everyone buys from Amazon and it’s ruining small trade* Your local market can get in the bin with that attitude imo
View on Reddit #5981804

fussyfella@reddit

Depends where it is. One place I spend a lot of time in has an occasional market and the stall holders actually suggested this as they said there were too many tyre kickers who got in the way of those actually shopping. It was more a craft fair sort of market than a typical produce market though, and some of the stalls were (or at least thought they were) upmarket and rather expensive.
View on Reddit #5983275

kavik2022@reddit

Tbh I find a lot of crafty places are. They're the sort of places you look around think "oh looks cool/I can see that in my living room'. Then you walk past"
View on Reddit #5984623

surviving-everything@reddit

Sadly a lot of "local craft" stalls are selling shit from AliExpress, rather than actual hand-crafted stuff they've made from themselves. The same thing killed the Etsy marketplace. Identical goods from different sellers? At that point you might as well buy from the actual maker.
View on Reddit #5985545

Awkward_Brick_329@reddit

Where is that happening? I've not known that where I am, it's all handcrafted by the maker
View on Reddit #5986260

Travels_Belly@reddit

Where I am it's happening. Greenwich Market has long been famous for it's arts and crafts market. Over the last few years it's slowly changed to most of it is just mass produced stuff form China.
View on Reddit #5987154

Awkward_Brick_329@reddit

Damn that sucks
View on Reddit #6443525

surviving-everything@reddit

Things like the "Christmas Fairs" you see popping up in places like Edinburgh, York, Manchester, and London. You can typically see ten+ stalls selling identical "hand made" items within them.
View on Reddit #5988426

Awkward_Brick_329@reddit

That's a real shame. And what's the point, really. Can probably buy the same crap online
View on Reddit #6443506

Cheese-n-Opinion@reddit

Not sure if I was just too naive to notice, but Christmas markets seemed a lot more homespun back when they first got popular in the '00s. I remember probably the first time I went to one, I got my dad this wild boar ham. I distinctly remember a huge choice of different charcuterie stuff. I went to a big market last Christmas and all the stalls across town were selling the exact same two or three vac packed products.
View on Reddit #5997392

takhana@reddit

Yes absolutely! You’re not misremembering it. The first time I went to Birmingham in the mid 00s it was full of unique little things, decorations, foods, handmade traditional and quirky stuff side by side. Went back a couple of years ago and 80% of the stalls were selling bratwurst or alcohol and the rest were clearly items manufactured on mass. Later confirmed by going to my towns local market and every single stall there being a replica of one in Birmingham…
View on Reddit #6002717

OakAged@reddit

Fees for selling at those markets are insane. Edinburgh is something like £11k for the 6 weeks. Prices out most actual artists.
View on Reddit #5995559

VardaElentari86@reddit

I don't get how they make their money back. Tourists I guess (I've only ever bought an occasional mulled wine at the edinburgh one)
View on Reddit #5999091

beks78@reddit

Got a pair of 90p earrings from AliExpress, walked past a stall at a craft fair selling them for £10.
View on Reddit #6029421

YellowBernard@reddit

Which came first though? The original designer never sold them for 90p. AliExpress takes all and destroys the makers
View on Reddit #6033925

beks78@reddit

To be honest they are Pandora knock-offs. Can't afford the Pandoras, way outta my price range.
View on Reddit #6049051

littlegreenturtle20@reddit

Yeah, when you see identical star-shaped lanterns or printed t-shirts on multiple stalls across vastly different marketplaces, you realise that you're not supporting independent artisan businesses.
View on Reddit #6001215

flatfishkicker@reddit

It's because actual crafty stuff that's handmade costs money to make. A lot more than mass produced tutt. Handmade takes time and people rarely want to pay a fair price for that time. People I know who do yarn crafts will do small, easy to knock up items for fairs as that way they stand a chance of selling and making a little bit of money.
View on Reddit #5993071

Faithiepoo@reddit

But that’s got nothing to do with charging for the pleasure of looking at it.
View on Reddit #6000982

CriticalCentimeter@reddit

lol @ killed Etsy. Etsy is still alive and kicking just fine.
View on Reddit #5986365

freckledotter@reddit

It is for Etsy but not the people who sell actual handmade items or those who wish to buy handmade items not shit mass produced in China.
View on Reddit #5986557

CriticalCentimeter@reddit

i sell handmade items on Etsy and have no problems. So not sure who the sellers are youre talking about.
View on Reddit #5989509

freckledotter@reddit

It was literally in the [news](https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/apr/27/etsy-sellers-handmade-products-prices-which) and has been a few times. I know lots of big sellers who have issues with it.
View on Reddit #5997147

LondonCollector@reddit

It’s shit though. It’s basically just Aliexpress now.
View on Reddit #5987018

CriticalCentimeter@reddit

maybe in some markets it is, i dunno. I know in my particular niche its not an issue at all.
View on Reddit #5990006

surviving-everything@reddit

Sure, the site is alive and kicking, but the sellers and products are not the same as in the beginning. 99% of the site is just resold tat from Aliexpress these days.
View on Reddit #5988357

TheHalfwayBeast@reddit

I spent £15 on a bracelet in the artists' section of MCM ComicCon, only to realise much later that the charms came from Amazon. Considering that I go to ComicCon to buy fanart from small artists, I feel cheated.
View on Reddit #5993079

somekidfromtheuk@reddit

i see shit from 1688 being sold on brick lane for literally 100 times the original price lol
View on Reddit #5989609

YchYFi@reddit

I tend to find a lot of MLM stalls at craft markets now There is always at least two juiceplus stalls as well as Avon and Younique.
View on Reddit #5987965

itsnobigthing@reddit

Forgettable products. I’d say it’s usually a struggle to even find anything that I could even potentially want to buy. And I love buying stuff!
View on Reddit #5990255

dbxp@reddit

The trick is for the organisers to have a coffee stall which makes all the money so the traders don't have to pay for a stall
View on Reddit #5985477

Mackem101@reddit

Or a tombola stall, those make an absolute fortune.
View on Reddit #5989880

EconomyFreakDust@reddit

I recently went to a country fair type thing because there was a separate major car event inside, and the fair had a £25 entry fee. The stalls were quite frankly insane. £3-4 for a cinnamon roll, £7-8 for a Cornish pasty, £5 for a small amount cakes etc. Who buys this shit? I see why independents struggle.
View on Reddit #5984790

somerandomnew0192783@reddit

> I see why independents struggle. This is the price for an ordinary person to produce these products and actually turn a profit though. Our perspective is skewed by supermarkets that fuck over the people they buy from and spoons who have the advantage of buying products at a mass scale. Think about your pasty example. Raw ingredients? Probably about £1. Gas/electricity to prepare, probably another £1. So that's you down to £5-6. Then factor in paying for your space at the fair, which is generally extortionate, anecdotally I know that a stall at the Edinburgh Christmas market is around £20k for the month. So after all those expenses you're maybe scraping a pound or two per pasty to pay yourself.
View on Reddit #5994689

takhana@reddit

I totally get your point but it’s tricky isn’t it. Slightly different scenario - I frequent a lot of craft groups on Facebook and there’s always people on there asking how much to charge for a t shirt they’ve put some vinyl on that they’ve designed, cut out and ironed on. Most of the people are told that they should charge an hourly fee for their time, maybe £12, plus the cost of the t shirt whole sale (£3), the cost of the vinyl (£6 a roll but maybe using a third of it, so £2), the cost of designing the t shirt in hours (another £12) etc. - before you know it you’re at £30+ for a basic t shirt with some vinyl on it. Which no consumer wants to pay, they’re expecting under £15. Then people moan that they’ve got no customers. You have to price appropriately to materials and time investment but equally every product has a price ceiling and perhaps if that price ceiling is too low for the investment and materials then it’s not the right product for that market.
View on Reddit #6002592

cornishcovid@reddit

Especially when it's easy enough online to find someone to print whatever you want on a t shirt for less. Also the design fee should be spread over the expected sales so unless they are all unique then it makes no sense.
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takhana@reddit

Yes, absolutely. I saw a lady the other day who had worked out that she should charge $550 for 10 t shirts because she'd done 10 hours of design fees, 10 hours of hourly fees (whilst they will take some time 10 t-shirts using something like a Cricut machine wouldn't take 10 hours) and a few other bits. And people were telling her that she was right to try and charge that much!
View on Reddit #6037457

Ravenser_Odd@reddit

The great thing about farmers' markets is that, by cutting out all the middle men - the distributors, the wholesalers, the supermarkets - the producers have found that they can quadruple their prices. (I forget which comedian I've stolen that from.)
View on Reddit #6034491

jackson-pollox@reddit

Jesus when was the last time you bought anything that wasn't the cheapest processed shite from a supermarkets value range? Those prices you list are just what things cost if you don't want mass produced crap
View on Reddit #5997458

Driftwood420991@reddit

I mean the coop I frequent literally has an on site bakery so calling it all mass produced crap is a pretty big reach. But even then the local small bakery does not charge prices like this and they're doing fine charging on par with the coop bakery for the same items.
View on Reddit #6010693

EconomyFreakDust@reddit

Hehe I'm probably younger than you. And even my local bakeries don't charge this much for those types of food. £4 for a single pastry is insanity.
View on Reddit #6005093

WaIkers@reddit

Was this the Royal Cornwall Show by any chance? It's the main reason I've never been in the time I've lived down here.
View on Reddit #6010607

Thestilence@reddit

The entry fee filters out the poor customers.
View on Reddit #5992183

Illustrious-Rope-115@reddit

So if you want to go somewhere to see if they've got a specific item and they haven't you become a poor customer ?
View on Reddit #5993159

Thestilence@reddit

The whole point is to have an event full of middle class people in Range Rovers who'll think nothing of paying £20 for something they got for £2 from a wholesalers.
View on Reddit #5994212

EconomyFreakDust@reddit

But see this wasn't actually true. Most of the cars in the field were your run of the mill Toyotas and Fords, as well as your standard beemers and audis. There were obviously a few luxury SUVs here and there too, but most cars were pretty average. There was the odd Ferrari and GT series Porsche, but they were there for the car show.
View on Reddit #5995024

Pleiades_cluster@reddit

Down my local market people get there on the bus so I think as an average they're on a winner there
View on Reddit #6007878

Illustrious-Rope-115@reddit

It's only Londoners who do that
View on Reddit #5994700

Major-Bookkeeper8974@reddit

Rich people. That's who... My Neice and Nephew go to a private primary school. (I could not afford to send my children there). My sister invited me to one of their summer events the other week. £30 entry, and then all the food, drink and entertainment stalls cost money on top. I mean, you're already spending thousands to send them to the school in the first place, then an entry fee to the summer fair, and then £7-10 for a cupcake. Piss off... I politely declined 🤣
View on Reddit #5991694

EconomyFreakDust@reddit

I'm one of the rich spoiled cunts who went to private schools too, yet I still find these prices obscene. There's not a chance in hell their food is 5x better than Tescos or Lidl.
View on Reddit #5991961

rishtonbatman@reddit

Yeah but that’s the nature of any retail business. You have window shoppers in all kinds of sales. Car dealerships probably sell a car to less than 10 percent of people that walk through the door. Are they going to charge people to come in? How many times have you been to a shop and not been able to find what you’re looking for? So you walk out and go somewhere else. They’ll end up with nobody at the market if you have to pay entry. Imagine if they’re there in groups of 4 and 1 person in each group is there to spend money. They take the crowd for the money.
View on Reddit #5986722

cornishcovid@reddit

Yeh I've been into various supermarkets and found I couldn't get what I wanted. Some seem weirdly setup in ways thay if you don't buy anything it's surprisingly difficult to get out without hurdling barriers. Small shops are awful for browsing too. There's a fishmongers down the road but I refuse to go in. Its big enough to contain about 2 people then a counter. They do not advertise prices, anywhere. Keep saying on local groups we have freshly landed x, y and z but no price. They always look empty. The butchers has a bloody great sign outside and an open front, you could almost everything before you go in. Plus they've pulled me in with the bulk mince deal advertised outside and I've ended up with a steak, sausages, crackling, bones or whatever else while inside after it's drawn me in Fishmongers I took a picture through the window when passing of the board inside and zoomed lol. I'm not anti social but going inside and having someone stare at me at short range while I realise everything is ridiculously expense is just annoying. Is a bunch of rich lot nearby tho so I guess they don't care the price much. It's fresh and money isn't important for them so it keeps going.
View on Reddit #6037233

Doogleyboogley@reddit

What a load of bollocks.
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Andr00H67@reddit

Maybe a refund of the entry fee if you spend say over £30 would be the way to go, I would not pay to shop anywhere TBH.
View on Reddit #6019466

skdowksnzal@reddit

Charge an exit fee. Anyone trying to leave without a receipt of any kind, gets charged.
View on Reddit #6019212

Neat_Petite@reddit

How many of those actually shopping were casual buyers who would look at an entry cost and think “ fuck that”?
View on Reddit #5983375

fussyfella@reddit

Who knows? It was not the sort of market I would go to, but I have a friend who has a stall at it. He was "meh" about the idea of a charge. I do not think they ever put it in place. It's in the grounds of a local stately home, and the resident big wig seems to think it his civic duty to let the local little people in to the grounds for free, while fleecing them for £15 to see round a few of the rooms in the house. There's a well above average café there though, so they do something right.
View on Reddit #5984256

IVerbYourNoun@reddit

Haha, sounds like Chatsworth.
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Driftwood420991@reddit

I would never pay the charge on principle. It's a terrible idea and I like shopping at local markets
View on Reddit #5989454

IanFeelKeepinItReel@reddit

If you look at your towns local newspaper website, any article about your town's centre will have comments from people complaining there's no free parking. So yes.
View on Reddit #6002220

Gingrpenguin@reddit

That's kinda the point. Ive done trade fairs (for b2b companies) and imo the ones with free entry to punters are the biggest waste of time. Even ones which have a nominal fee are better even though 80% of attendees get in free due to "verified (business) emails" That said as a consumer that market I wouldn't go
View on Reddit #5991832

Neat_Petite@reddit

Not sure a trade fair is really comparable to a market, but I get your point.
View on Reddit #5992287

LegalStorage@reddit

When you say craft fair do you mean actual handmade goods or wood items bought from Aliexpress being sold as handmade?
View on Reddit #6006868

AtebYngNghymraeg@reddit

I don't know if I'm a tyre kicker or a shopper until I've seen the goods, and I'm not paying to find out which. Markets with this attitude deserve to die.
View on Reddit #6004313

Pretend-Factor-843@reddit

They started doing this near me - but dont make a full list of stall holders easily available. I'm not paying without a preview!
View on Reddit #6002028

6f937f00-3166-11e4-8@reddit

The proper way to do this is to make the entrance fee cost £5 in tokens that can be spent at any stall
View on Reddit #5987867

jeremyascot@reddit

Or you get a pint / glass booze / etc
View on Reddit #5999940

whoops53@reddit

I love this idea and would be all over it! Its far too sensible for business though....
View on Reddit #5989556

AngryTrucker@reddit

So they were full of themselves and didn't want the poors looking at their stuff.
View on Reddit #5996702

madcaplarks@reddit

Then say it's three pounds to come in, but you get a three pound voucher redeemable at any stall
View on Reddit #5993401

PartyPoison98@reddit

It sounds stupid to complain about customers not wanting to buy your stuff and blaming *them*. I'll often go to a market to have a look around and see what catches my eye, I shouldn't be penalized if the traders don't have anything that appeals to me.
View on Reddit #5991525

itsnobigthing@reddit

If this is the problem then they should make the £3 entry redeemable against a purchase. It’s not though. People aren’t buying stuff at these markets because the range of products and/or the pricing is bad.
View on Reddit #5990201

lesterbottomley@reddit

I've seen it in specialist markets (like record or comic fairs). But never a regular market.
View on Reddit #5985733

Ze_Gremlin@reddit

Also, "local economy in this town is dying! Why aren't people shopping here??" *looks at ridiculous parking charges thst apply to every single street, parking site, etc that's just increase by 16%/hour* "Nope, no idea why no one comes to shop here!!"
View on Reddit #5987439

dzip_@reddit

This one gets me. My town trialled free weekend parking in all council car parks for a few months and it was absolutely packed in what is usually a dead high street / market. After the trial finished they for some bizarre reason decided not to keep it and the town centre went back to being dead. I'm convinced it's down to some people in the council who make a career out of 'improving' town centres not wanting to make themselves redundant.
View on Reddit #5988708

Desired_ScreenName@reddit

What happened there is the shops got all the money and the council got fuck all. All the people who *have* to park in the town centre for work/appointments etc get it free and the council didnt see a penny. They dont care about shops as long as they get their business rates.
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Livid_Sheepherder_44@reddit

You are aware that councils get a minute proportion of the business rates, which are not even set by them?
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Desired_ScreenName@reddit

Since 2013 councils get 50% of the business rates. They are not set by them, true, but as they are set based on the rateable value of the property, town centres with lots of high value property in the form of shops provide higher business rates. Shops such as large chain stores that can afford a huge store in town. Small independents that would likely more benefit from increased footfall due to free parking also tend to be in small, less valuable properties. Which make ideal candidates for making into flats.
View on Reddit #6012057

Livid_Sheepherder_44@reddit

And the money received as income is deducted from any grant they receive, meaning there is little or no incentive to change things
View on Reddit #6136143

naturenet@reddit

Business rates actually go to the government, not the council. Although the council collects them.
View on Reddit #6033822

Desired_ScreenName@reddit

"In 2013, a new system of business rates ‘retention’ came into force (known as Business Rates Retention Scheme or BRRS). Local authorities now keep half the income they collect from business rates. The remaining 50 per cent share is still sent to the Treasury and then redistributed back to local authorities as core grants. The total given to each local authority is subject to either a further reduction – a ‘tariff’, or an additional payment – a ‘top up’, depending on whether a local authority is deemed more or less able to generate business rates based on their local economic circumstances."
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MTFUandPedal@reddit

> They dont care about shops as long as they get their business rates. Which they don't when everything shuts down
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Desired_ScreenName@reddit

Ahh but then they can 'invest' in turning the town centre into swanky appartments because the shops all left and get a boat load of council tax. They make sure they win either way.
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Orri@reddit

Depends where you are. Here in Leicester (a student town) landlords have realised if they rent to students they can add a £100 onto the rent as they know they'll be saving that by not paying tax.
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Livid_Sheepherder_44@reddit

Yawn. I hear this ridiculous argument all the time. The cost of providing services way exceeds the income from Council Tax.
View on Reddit #6007164

scorch762@reddit

Straight out of the Northampton Council playbook. Fuckall shops left, and everything is flats now.
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Ozle42@reddit

You also need to check which council gets the rates. Because it’s not always the town council, so that money gets spent elsewhere in the botough
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eairy@reddit

This can't be right, I'm told over and over on reddit that when cars are excluded people flock to the shops. /s
View on Reddit #6006609

Lemonaitor@reddit

I mean, you would also get similar results if there was alternatives to driving and parking. A high street in a large town near me has seen a huge growth since expanding it's bus services and improving cycling routes into town.
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Zanki@reddit

They're trying to improve a few cycling routes where I live, but if you look around, no one is cycling into the city center anymore because bikes are going missing on mass. Stolen and no one cares. Police actually helped one guy steal a bike because he was taking extreme lengths to steal it. The actual owner arrived just in time to claim it. I was so mad the police just cut the guys lock without proof of ownership.
View on Reddit #5994727

GraphicDesignMonkey@reddit

Penzance? Same thing happened there. Town is dying the death
View on Reddit #5990859

LimeGreenDuckReturns@reddit

Also, "Shop local, chains are killing small businesses" Is open mon-fri 9-4, sat 10-12.
View on Reddit #5993303

imrik_of_caledor@reddit

this always gets me about the "support your local butcher" bores - i would gladly support the twat if he didn't shut at 4pm every day.
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milton117@reddit

I never for the life of me understood this. What's the point of opening the store when people are at work or busy?
View on Reddit #5995360

Estrellathestarfish@reddit

A new coffee shop opened in my commuter town, it didn't open until 9 on weekdays, ruling out the commuter traffic, closed at 1 on Saturdays and didn't open on Sundays at all. It lasted about 6 months. The Caffè Nero that opens 7-6 weekdays and full days at the weekend does a roaring trade however.
View on Reddit #6027308

Plantagenesta@reddit

It's a hangover from the days when married women generally didn't work (or tended to be part-time if they did.) For some unfathomable reason the High Street hasn't quite twigged it's not 1970 anymore.
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Auntie_Cagul@reddit

Local traders are not usually the people that set the entrance fee. They just pay for their pitch / stall.
View on Reddit #6060770

bacchus32x@reddit

Yeah when a local veg shop tried charging me £3 for a red pepper, I completely understood why they were losing so much business to supermarkets.
View on Reddit #6005839

EclecticFrog6789@reddit

I had this last year. Local veg guy wanted £9 - NINE ENGLISH POUNDS - for a small punnet of strawberries and five lemons. I put them back and never shopped there again.
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happyhippohats@reddit

Local Traders: *people keep coming here and getting all the free samples but not buying anything and we're losing money*
View on Reddit #6018028

MysteriousAd8014@reddit

You know it isn't the traders that make decisions like that, right?
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postvolta@reddit

Also local traders at markets: *look at all this absolute shite I carved/welded in my garage*
View on Reddit #6005646

DonParatici@reddit

Amazon do take a cut though, which is essentially the same as paying the entry fee to use the marketplace.
View on Reddit #5984846

Fatuousgit@reddit

The sellers need to take that into account in their pricing though. I can browse Amazon at no cost to me. Amazon only get a cut if I choose to buy. I wouldn't browse for things on Amazon if they charged me £3 just to look.
View on Reddit #5985117

DonParatici@reddit

Sure and these are the two dynamics of shopping, and why Amazon is so successful. However if there's a really nicely curated local market, with food stalls and a variety of shops and maybe some live music, £3 goes to the experience. It really depends on what's on offer.
View on Reddit #5986004

SirTopamHatt@reddit

It's not though is it, it's a greengrocer, a fishmonger, a second hand book stall, the bag man, one or two knick-knack stalls, a dodgy nail salon and Daz at the back. Daz (or Gaz as he is sometimes known) can get you most things if you don't mind the smell.
View on Reddit #5986389

Slothjitzu@reddit

But where do I find my American sweets?
View on Reddit #5990994

SirTopamHatt@reddit

Gaz will fix you up... You dont mind if they're a little damp right?
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Potential_Cover1206@reddit

Don't give them ideas!!
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upanddowndays@reddit

But I know what's on Amazon. I can go to a search page, a listing, and see what I want, and decide if I want to buy it that at price. There isn't a popup telling me to pay a fee before I search.
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ubiquitous_uk@reddit

I'm no lover of Amazon, but the costs go on the sales, not on to the person browsing the app.
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worotan@reddit

No it isn’t, having to pay to go onto Amazons website would be the same as paying an entry fee to use the marketplace.
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Commodontious@reddit

You don't have to pay to just access Amazon.com to just look at stuff though. Amazon take a cut when you buy something, just like the market stalls do.
View on Reddit #5984905

DonParatici@reddit

Yeah but they take a cut on every product, which is their cost of using the market place. The cut for amazon goes towards their overheads for running the market. In the same way the £3 goes towards the overheads for running the market. Perhaps by charging for entry, they can keep rent lower for traders.
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Previous-Ad7618@reddit

That’s not the same in any way. It’s not an analogy it’s just a statement that’s unrelated to the point
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Charlie_Yu@reddit

I mean local markets charge rent too
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DonParatici@reddit

I know, that's exactly why I said the £3 could be used for keeping rents lower.
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joshym0nster@reddit

It won't though will it, it's the uk savings are never passed on.
View on Reddit #5986625

Charlie_Yu@reddit

Maybe, or maybe not, but the reduced sales would hit the stall owners first
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Previous-Ad7618@reddit

Not for opening the webpage. That’s not a fair comparison. Charging the vendor is complete different than charging the customer to look
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SuperSlamdance@reddit

Yeah, fuck independent traders that don't have economies of scale on their side for trying to offset operating costs in a market that's increasingly anti-independent. You fucking bell-end.
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Previous-Ad7618@reddit

Found the guy that was charging £3 at O.P’s market. (Free *looking* is not a benefit from economies of scale btw, and any further insults; stick them and a DM and I’ll put them on my fridge)
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SuperSlamdance@reddit

Found the corporate simp. Please keep turning the working class against you. It'll make lining you up against the wall all the sweeter.
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Previous-Ad7618@reddit

*Ill be down in a second mum I’m just threatening people on the internet!* *furious typing*
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SuperSlamdance@reddit

Another Redditor economist that talks a big game and trips at the ad hominem hurdle. What do you propose independent traders do to stay afloat? Wow us.
View on Reddit #5997980

Previous-Ad7618@reddit

Who is *us*?, got a mate with you or something? The overwhelming majority of people on the thread have (seemingly) shared sentiments with my first comment. Feel free to pay twice next time you go to this mystery market you don’t know the location of, so you can cancel out the awful man on the internet that doesn’t think it’s a reasonable concept.
View on Reddit #5998326

milton117@reddit

Thats some strong cope
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SuperSlamdance@reddit

Yup, it's John trying to flog meat as close to supermarket prices as he can afford that's the one in the wrong here. They love having to charge you on the door just to _look_ at wares you could get dropshipped from some warehouse in China overnight for half the price. Keep throating corporate cock though.
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milton117@reddit

As opposed to John's cock?
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SuperSlamdance@reddit

He's trying to put food on the table. Corps are trying to give their board members another boathouse. It's not complicated.
View on Reddit #5995199

milton117@reddit

Yeah sure that's all he's doing, he absolutely has to charge people just to enter through the door because he's struggling that much. Like the first thing they teach you in business studies in GCSE is if your store has no footfall, simply charge them for entering and they'll be queueing up to enter. Or was it the reverse?
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NotRealWater@reddit

On twitter people pay $8 for nothing lol
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TomSurman@reddit

Most don't, and those that do are the subject of widespread mockery.
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omgsoftcats@reddit

>Most don't, and those that do are the subject of widespread mockery. :sent from my iphone:
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SpectralDinosaur@reddit

0.1% of the user base has twitter blue actually. It's a massive failure and quite the laughingstock on the platform.
View on Reddit #5986654

tcpukl@reddit

Way to suicide in my view. It should be free parking not adding entry fees. I would turn around.
View on Reddit #5988594

NotRealWater@reddit

Big farmers market and agricultural sale (tractors an shit) round my way charges something like £22 to get in. There was a pie shop holding a stall there so I bought a pie (pork pie but layered with chicken stuffing etc) it was £7. A month later I was visiting the town\village that their main shop was in. I had enjoyed the pie from the market so figured I'd get another one from their shop. That same pie in their shop.... £3.50 I paid £22 for the right to pay a surcharge of £3.50 on a pie.
View on Reddit #5984255

YchYFi@reddit

A lot of those shows charge a lot to hold a stall. I looked at one for my friend one year and prices to have a food stall were between £200 and £700.
View on Reddit #5984643

Awordofinterest@reddit

It's all about scale, I know someone who paid something like £5000 a day for his spot at Glastonbury.
View on Reddit #5997314

NotRealWater@reddit

For a food stall?
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Awordofinterest@reddit

Yea, Basically just a food trailer (think kebab van), not even particularly large, maybe have 3 people working in it at a time at a squeeze.
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ShinyHappyPurple@reddit

Ever feel like every single thing, no matter how tiny, has become a racket in this country?
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YchYFi@reddit

It is expensive to hold a festival. A festival I was looking at at the time rent the ground from someone else. Pay St John Ambulance to attend as you need too, as well as well as hiring of portoloos and staff.
View on Reddit #5987174

ShinyHappyPurple@reddit

It's not an attack, feel like some of these smaller festivals that are bringing businesses into towns and villages should be subsidised because they give local people something to do, they help local businesses reach new customers and also it's nice for places to have events, they can be fun. Ideally though they need to be affordable for people.
View on Reddit #5987451

mata_dan@reddit

Often that does happen, councils sometimes arrange markets or rather assign the duty to other non profits etc. for exactly that reason.
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YchYFi@reddit

They don't just attract locals. They want to attract all over. In practice that would be great but a lot of these festivals are held on private land.
View on Reddit #5987857

Deathwatch72@reddit

Everything happening in Private land and the fees you pay to the owners circles us back to "is everything a racket now?"
View on Reddit #5990835

Thestilence@reddit

Running a shop isn't free either. Surely a stall in a field is cheaper than bricks, mortar, utilities, business rates etc.
View on Reddit #5992597

YchYFi@reddit

Wasn't talking about a shop.
View on Reddit #5993045

NotRealWater@reddit

If I hadn't been to one and seen how high everything was prices then I'd think you were Billy bullshitting 😂 That price range sounds about right for the markup they'd added on everything. Even the cheapest cheese at the market was out of my price range
View on Reddit #5988931

YellowBernard@reddit

I get the feeling this story is coming out at every family gathering until the day you die
View on Reddit #6034112

FerretChrist@reddit

£22?! Surely it's not *just* a market for that kind of money. Do they have a bit of a show, or live music or something as well? Because if not, *why the fuck did you pay £22 just to go into a market?!*
View on Reddit #5988134

NotRealWater@reddit

Haha, because I thought.... £22?! Surely it's not just a market for that kind of money. Do they have a bit of a show, or live music or something as well? Turns out it was just a market, there was a sheep competition a bit like crufts going on, mostly with kids of farmers showing a sheep, but curiousity peaked and I had to find out what was going on in there lol. It was just a load of posh people who didn't at all seem like they were involved in farming, buying expensive artisan cheese.
View on Reddit #5989660

callisstaa@reddit

22 quid to attend a sheep show is insane. Sure its good fun and a great day out for everyone but for that money I would be jumping a fence.
View on Reddit #5991607

ondrvese@reddit

The Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh is roughly £25 per ticket, and it’s busy every year. It’s actually a pretty good day out
View on Reddit #6005637

callisstaa@reddit

Its a specialised market and farm equipment is expensive. If you're going to drop 250k on a combine you're not going to balk at paying an entry fee. Sure you could buy one online but trade markets like this are great for getting to know local dealers and contractors etc. It's not like you're paying 22 quid to buy a 10 pack of skins and some batteries.
View on Reddit #5991376

YouLostTheGame@reddit

Well why didn't you just go to the shop to buy the pie then? Oh wait... No shit you pay extra for convenience
View on Reddit #5992837

Piece_Maker@reddit

Pork pie with stuffing sounds banging, how big was it to be worth £7 though?
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NotRealWater@reddit

I'd say it was 4 times the size of one of those pork pies you get from the supermarket (you know the ones that come in packs of 6)
View on Reddit #5989177

LordofFruitAndBarely@reddit

That’s absurd. Why should you pay money for the privilege of paying money? If it’s like.. the local cub scouts trying to raise money or whatever, that’s one thing, but you’re not just paying the council 3 quid for the sake of it
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LePetitCygne@reddit

I've never ever heard of this practice. TIL
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dtr_ned@reddit

good if it keeps out the riff raft but guess i’m the riff raft as i’m not paying £3
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Throwaway91847817@reddit

Riff Raff, a Riff Raft is a small boat you play guitar solos on.
View on Reddit #6073179

dtr_ned@reddit

hahahahaa bravo
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somerville99@reddit

Plenty f other places to spend your money.
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Auntie_Cagul@reddit

It used to be commonplace for craft markets / fairs 30 or so years ago. The idea behind the fee was that the organiser had spent time finding and researching the stallholders to bring them into one place for customers to access. This was all pre internet of course. It's rarely the stallholders that choose to charge entry but the organiser. I refuse to attend markets and fairs that charge an entrance fee. Both as a customer and stallholder.
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Temporary-Zebra97@reddit

The only market I am willing to pay entry to is an antiques fair I visit, i just checked for next month and first day is £20 the next two days is £6 entry per day.
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JonLeePButler@reddit

Must be a specialised market, like a once in a while 'farmers market'. Any normal market will not charge an entry fee. Perhaps try sticking with a regular market than the once a month themed market.
View on Reddit #6041194

Graham2405@reddit

I assume to discourage window shoppers. Personally, I'd not pay it though.
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PantherEverSoPink@reddit

Even window shoppers but things sometimes though. And also, why can't they just hang out and look? Are people not allowed to exist anywhere without spending money these days?
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Embarrassed-Gas-8155@reddit

The commoditisation of public spaces is bad. But complaining about the commoditisation of an *actual market* seems ludicrous.
View on Reddit #5984389

Herrad@reddit

What are you talking about? The complaint isn't about the market it's about accessing the market, i.e. the public space that the shops exist in. Why is one complaint more appropriate than the other? They're both saying being charged to use a public space is bad.
View on Reddit #5984873

Embarrassed-Gas-8155@reddit

What I'm saying is it's not equivalent to i.e. closing libraries and the commoditisation of public spaces. A market, supermarket, Costco etc. are literally created for the sale of commodities. That's their reason to exist. If they're actual public space, they literally couldn't charge for entry. So they're clearly in a private space. If they want to charge people to enter in order to buy goods, that's entirely up to them. I can agree or disagree, but it doesn't mean their "commodifying" a public space, because by definition they're not.
View on Reddit #6041124

dbxp@reddit

Who said the market was in a public space?
View on Reddit #5985823

PantherEverSoPink@reddit

Buy someone could walk through, spot something and buy it. But charging £3 to get in? Bloody hell. What if you've already paid for parking? I mean like..... so, my nan for example. She could catch the bus into town, wander the market and have a look at the wool and knitting needles, have a chat with the stall holders, and then pick up some fruit and veg before going home Day out for her, plus she'd tell me they have some nice things in at the wool shop, so next time, I'll go and pick up some fabric, some wool, and grab some fruit and snacks for the kids while there. I notice they sell school bags and uniform, so I'll go back in August as well. Charge £3 to get in and none of that will happen. If I need to buy something I'll go into a shop that doesn't charge entry, surely.
View on Reddit #5984627

Embarrassed-Gas-8155@reddit

What I'm saying is it's not equivalent to i.e. closing libraries and the commoditisation of public spaces. A market, supermarket, Costco etc. are literally created for the sale of commodities. That's their reason to exist. If they want to charge people to enter in order to buy goods, that's entirely up to them. I can agree or disagree, but it doesn't mean their "commodifying" a public space, because by definition they're not.
View on Reddit #6041094

InconsistentEffort20@reddit

>Charge £3 to get in and none of that will happen. That's sort of the point, they obviously feel there are far too many nans wandering about making chit chat and it is getting in the way of thier ability to run their business effectively.
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dbxp@reddit

Depends on the type of market. If it's a regular permanent market then allowing for free access makes sense but if it's a craft market people browsing and using the space as a gallery far outnumber shoppers.
View on Reddit #5985752

Commodontious@reddit

Would you pay £3 to just get into Tesco? That's a big market (a SUPER market, you might say) so why is it different?
View on Reddit #5984829

Embarrassed-Gas-8155@reddit

Probably not, and I doubt I'd pay to get into this market either. What I'm saying is it's not equivalent to i.e. closing libraries and the commoditisation of public spaces. A market, supermarket, Costco etc. are literally created for the sale of commodities. That's their reason to exist. If they want to charge people to enter in order to buy goods, that's entirely up to them. I can agree or disagree, but it doesn't mean their "commodifying" a public space, because by definition they're not.
View on Reddit #6041071

FlatHoperator@reddit

erm have you heard of Costco?
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YchYFi@reddit

Some supermarkets they have do charge past 20 minutes.
View on Reddit #5986940

cragglerock93@reddit

Personally I'd not pay £3 either, but I really don't get why people are getting their knickers in a twist. It's their prerogative to charge for entry - It's a private event in private space. I don't know how or why people think that shops are public spaces or providing a public service. If by charging £3 they deter enough customers then they will soon rethink it.
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ShinyHappyPurple@reddit

There's also plenty of us who know the frustration of being happy to throw money at the problem and just want something basic (e.g. nice pair of trousers for work) and don't find anything to buy in the shops.
View on Reddit #5986943

mata_dan@reddit

Feels like that's about half my life xD Often can't find the right thing online either that used to exist everywhere easily.
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dbxp@reddit

It causes issues when a stall working art has to deal with 500 people taking picks for their instagram feed but sell nothing and still have to pay for the stall. Markets are privately run so you should expect to pay the organiser if you go either by buying products or by paying some sort of fee. If the stall didn't cost anything then it wouldn't be so much of an issue.
View on Reddit #5985687

quiglter@reddit

What issues does that cause though? I get it can be disheartening for the stallholders but its not as if they pay stall charges per person who walks by. It comes across as bitter, which I don't entirely unsympathsise with, but doesn't seem the best way to sell.
View on Reddit #5986926

dbxp@reddit

The stall holders have to pay for the cost of the infrastructure. If they're not making enough sales they could easily make a loss on the stall. If they're making a loss on the stall via sales but see lots of people browsing then it makes sense to charge people for browsing as that is the main attraction. It's the same as some art galleries charging entry, if people are browsing without buying then it is effectively a gallery.
View on Reddit #5988249

fledgop@reddit

Markets are a pretty old concept, foot traffic is how you make money. Actively trying to reduce your only revenue stream for a few quid is some pretty revolutionary thinking.
View on Reddit #5989698

InconsistentEffort20@reddit

Foot traffic x conversion rate x profit margin is the equation. Having twice as many people doesn't help if none of the extras are actually buying, in fact it can put customers who would be happy to buy off as they can't be arsed struggling through crowds and waiting around all day.
View on Reddit #5998287

dbxp@reddit

Depends on the type of market. If they're selling drop shipped tat then sure but if they're selling crafts or artisan cheeses then they become tourist attractions.
View on Reddit #5990042

fledgop@reddit

It doesn't depend on the type of market. Foot traffic drives sales.
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PantherEverSoPink@reddit

I guess it depends on the type of market. I'm thinking of the permanent market in my town centre, fabric, vegetables, school bags, second hand books. Or the market in Hull where it's loss of different foods to try and it's nice to walk around. Somewhere that's effectively an art gallery.....I guess maybe. I've not seen one but if it's effectively like a high standard craft market then maybe that's another matter, I don't know.
View on Reddit #5989229

InconsistentEffort20@reddit

Space and time is limited and the more people there are the harder people have to work, its also worse for actual customers too. Using someone else's business for entertainment without any intention of buying anything isn't ideal but is usually tolerated. But if it becomes too much they have every right to make different arrangements.
View on Reddit #5998125

NaniFarRoad@reddit

Depends. If feedback from existing customers is "nice market, but too crowded - I won't be coming back next year", this could be an attempt to improve the experience for people participating. Then next year "nice market, but ripoff entry charges - I won't be coming back next year". WIP
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Graham2405@reddit

"Are people not allowed to exist anywhere without spending money these days?" It's a capitalist economy.
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callisstaa@reddit

It always has been but at least you used to be able to walk down the high street and visit a market without paying for the privilege. It's a piss take
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Graham2405@reddit

...and I'd agree, but they no doubt have reasons. As I said, I'd not pay to enter, but I assume some do.
View on Reddit #5991963

PantherEverSoPink@reddit

I used to go into town as a teenager and walk round the shops, and when older and feeling a little depressed I would look at things but couldn't make decisions what to buy but it at least have me something to do. Being obliged to make purchases, just in order to see what's on stalls, ergh it feels so..... excluding, rude and I don't just doesn't sit right. Where's everything going these days.
View on Reddit #5984275

ShinyHappyPurple@reddit

It seems like it would be counterproductive, I would be annoyed if I paid £5 to go in a market and then there was nothing I wanted to buy. Can't possibly help with competing against online traders either.
View on Reddit #5986996

Graham2405@reddit

You have to assume that they have done their research and made the appropriate choice.
View on Reddit #5987872

Shaper_pmp@reddit

Assuming competence in decision-making at *any level* of UK life is a foolish assumption these days.
View on Reddit #5989962

Graham2405@reddit

That is a fair point.....
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kavik2022@reddit

No, not in Britain. Everything costs. Nothing's worth the price. And the price keeps going up
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kavik2022@reddit

No, not in Britain. Everything costs. Nothing's worth the price. And the price keeps going up
View on Reddit #5984740

imabutcher3000@reddit

The whole point of the window is to entice buyers, so this makes no sense if its true
View on Reddit #5985443

Clever_Username_467@reddit

Retailers famously find passing foot traffic frustrating. They're always talking about how they want less of it.
View on Reddit #5986256

imabutcher3000@reddit

Yeh that'll work..
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Clever_Username_467@reddit

As a butcher you should understand. The last thing you want is a bunch of people seeing your shop and knowing about what you sell.
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StardustOasis@reddit

What kind of dribbling idiot doesn't know what a butcher sells?
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Clever_Username_467@reddit

Yes, exactly. Since there is only one kind of meat, all of the same quality, all at the same price, there's no reason for anyone to want to look at a butchers shop. That's why butchers are well known for covering up their shop windows to prevent people looking through them.
View on Reddit #6002318

DreamingInfraviolet@reddit

I guess seeing chunks of dead animals lying around might turn some people off.
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imabutcher3000@reddit

Absolutely. The last thing I want is "potential" customers
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Knight--Of--Ren@reddit

Apart from all the most successful chain shops focus on foot traffic on the basis they might make a sale, often shops are laid out in such a way you have to walk through multiple isles of stuff you don’t want to get to what you do just in case you impulse buy. Clearly these multi billion dollar businesses must be wrong in how they make money
View on Reddit #5988952

ChemicalNecessary744@reddit

Could do a deposit. Like pay £3 entry and get a token then you can use that token to get something from a seller and pay 3 quid less. The seller then collects at the end!
View on Reddit #5991380

Graham2405@reddit

That would seem to make more sense. Much like some places punch your car park ticket if you shop.
View on Reddit #5991984

toferino@reddit

Why deter window shoppers? Window shoppers can become impulse buyers.
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Graham2405@reddit

I can only assume that the market has 'run the numbers' and feels that charging is the better option.
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Xarxsis@reddit

From what OP has said this is less a "market" and more a "craft faire"
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toferino@reddit

Possibly to subsidise and reduce the fees for stall holders? You don’t got a market if you don’t got stalls.
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xian0@reddit

People who pay an entrance fee are probably more likely to buy something in order to make it feel like it was worthwhile.
View on Reddit #5986733

xian0@reddit

Or turn window shoppers into people who buy things, they'll want to make it feel worthwhile if they pay the entrance fee.
View on Reddit #5986666

prettybunbun@reddit

Window shoppers might buy tho. I’ve deffo been ‘window shopping’ and been pulled in by something before.
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concretepigeon@reddit

Footfall can be useful to get people’s attention too.
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Clever_Username_467@reddit

The whole point of selling is to persuade people to buy. You want window shoppers.
View on Reddit #5986209

Matttthhhhhhhhhhh@reddit

It's absurd and it would definitely discourage me from going there, as I sometimes buy absolutely nothing. Paying to buy nothing is so British...
View on Reddit #6038888

Paulstan67@reddit

There is a carboot near me that charges £5 for buyers, in the first hour. Going down to £1 entry in the last hour.
View on Reddit #5985893

systemofamorch@reddit

as someone who sometimes sells at carboots - it gets the professional resellers who like to push hard on traders as they are finishing unpacking for things like electronics/video games/collectables/toys etc i had no idea there was that many organised resellers who churn through carboots as they are barely open
View on Reddit #6036711

EclecticFrog6789@reddit

There is an antique centre up North that charges £5 to go in and browse. I refuse on principle!
View on Reddit #6036044

AF_II@reddit

Given how the whole cost of living thing is really hitting small traders, hospitality etc, I don't mind playing these entrance fees if it means the traders I like can afford the pitch fees & the market can keep running without having to hike them by 20%.
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PM_ME_YOUR_STOMACHS@reddit

What percentage do you think actually goes to the traders?
View on Reddit #5984964

goodbyeruby2sday@reddit

It may be indirectly going to them by preventing a pitch fee hike. E.g. costs of running have gone up 15%, but to keep pitch fees constant there's now an entry fee
View on Reddit #5985509

antrky@reddit

Exactly this. A market I used to attend asked us our opinions about bringing in an entry fee rather than upping the pitch fee
View on Reddit #6035900

AF_II@reddit

None of it, as others have said it subsidises the cost of maintenance, toilets, advertising, etc, which keeps the cost of pitches down for traders.
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YchYFi@reddit

It goes to the event organisers who are paying staff to run it, hiring of toilets, hiring the ground. It all adds up.
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Harrry-Otter@reddit

Is it like a food festival farmers market kind of vibe? I’d pay £3 for that if there were bars and pizza trucks and stuff. £3 just to walk around looking at stalls selling Hi-Vis and DVDs in the permanent market? No thanks.
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FerretChrist@reddit

> Is it like a food festival farmers market kind of vibe? I’d pay £3 for that if there were bars and pizza trucks and stuff. Bollocks. There's a really nice food market at the Southbank Centre, with some of the best street food I've tasted, some great bars etc. Do they charge entry to that? Do they fuck. And that's in *London* ffs. I'm fucked if I'm gonna pay a single penny just to get into a *market*, and then quite possibly find there's nothing in there I like the look of.
View on Reddit #5988002

Sweaty_Tangerine_903@reddit

They’d probably pay you to stay away with your effing and blinding. Nobody needs you anywhere near their wife and kids.
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Harrry-Otter@reddit

London has the footfall to make places like that much more viable though. If you’re going to a food fest/market on Keighley or something, paying a small entry fee isn’t uncommon.
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Hythy@reddit

I would've thought that the small barrier to entry might be enough to reduce the total amount spent to make it a bad idea.
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AEL1979@reddit

I didn’t quite understand that either. Pay £3 to then spend more money on £12 wood fired pizzas and £6 beers?
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Chennaz@reddit

£3 for the event organisers who own the space I guess
View on Reddit #5989451

tiasaiwr@reddit

Normally organisers make their money from charging the stall owners. They can certainly shift that onto customers but reducing the number of customers doesn't seem like it's in the stall owners' interests.
View on Reddit #5990153

AntsMakeSugar@reddit

Exactly this. There's no context as to what type of market is.
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concretepigeon@reddit

An art gallery near me did a print fair where I guess the entry fee covers the fact that some people will treat it like an exhibition and not buy anything but when you have bought stuff it does feel a bit cheeky that they charge on top of that.
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ClingerOn@reddit

It would make more sense if they knocked a couple of quid off if you buy something.
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InukChinook@reddit

Seems logical that the solution would be that paid entry would enable a 'discount' on the customers first purchase equal to the entry fee, likely by some sort of ticket stub that the vendor/stall the returns to the organizers for compensation from the entry fee pool.
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hriju7@reddit

Seems even more strange for an art gallery tbh because art isn’t standard you may not like anything there but at a farmers market you know there’s at least some fruits or vegetables you’ve had before
View on Reddit #6005987

concretepigeon@reddit

Doesn’t that make it less strange? Presumably people going to a farmer’s market probably have an idea of what they’re going to buy while a print sale is more likely to have people going to browse.
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wildgoldchai@reddit

I live in London and markets are very much a thing here. If I was asked to pay entry, I’d laugh and go to another market
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Xercies_jday@reddit

Seems to be a thing to pay for all the markets that are posted on Time Out or events websites…all the young hipsters go to those though…
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wildgoldchai@reddit

I can’t imagine paying £1 for a deep bowl of tomatoes is enticing for them so I think I’m safe for now haha
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Hythy@reddit

A £3 entry fee probably cost the vendors a lot of money. Sometimes being cheap can be pretty expensive (see landlords and repairs for reference).
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California-Craftsman@reddit

> There's no context WELCOME TO REDDIT
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badgerfishnew@reddit

Exactly. Soo many armchair organisers on here with no idea of what it entails to organise an event.. they must think it just appears by magic!
View on Reddit #5990144

Delejt@reddit

My local food festival market would charge entry fee AND then charge a full price for food on top of that.
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no-one-but-crow@reddit

I once went to comic book convention and felt like I just paid to go shopping for Japanese imports. I never went again. but if you love to shop, why not?
View on Reddit #6005786

ChickenKnd@reddit

Same with carboot sales
View on Reddit #5988536

gigglephysix@reddit

A behavioral scientist was quoted in their MBA textbook on this being a good way to con/coerce people into buying on the basis of sunk costs. Basically if you can maintain a lab full of this refuse you don't need my £3. And if you listen to someone who maintains a lab full of this refuse, let them give you the £3 not me.
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Strude187@reddit

Pay to park Pay to enter the market Pay over the usual price for everything (because the stalls were charged too) Buy less and leave annoyed Less people turn up next time due to word of mouth Stall’s don’t cover their set up fees Market closes
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theNorth1987@reddit

The first and last time I went to our local market I spent about 3 times more on the same products than I’d gone to M&S
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conkeee@reddit

I pay £15 to get in early to a car boot sale every month. Well worth it to avoid the £1 midday crowds. I’d definitely pay the £3 entry fee
View on Reddit #6033939

Opening_Complaint_40@reddit

Wtf market are you going to to charge entry??
View on Reddit #6033750

PhysicsForeign1634@reddit

Markets are full of people who come in clutching their 50p who wander round and go out again. These are commercial events, not day trips. If the hall cost is covered by the entrance fees the stall costs can be lowered.
View on Reddit #6033745

HumbleUK@reddit

It’s a no from me
View on Reddit #6033625

yggm1@reddit

We had a local town do a Food and Drinks fest and they were charging £15 entry!! Unjustifiable imo, especially as this didn't cover food or drinks!
View on Reddit #6031924

PiratesOfTheArctic@reddit

When I was a kid I was dragged around a lot of car boots (particularly Walthamstow). Because the car boot was so good (at the time) the organisers increased the prices of the pitches. This received a lot of grumbles and so they then decided to start charging an entry fee (I think it was something like 50p). The organisers must have made a fortune. Roll on to now. The local cathedral (Liverpool) once a year has a 'local artist fare', no idea who the traders will be, the entry fee is roughly £3 each. Once inside, you see there are 12-15 stalls, full of the same bric-a-brac, sellers with miserable faces, no one is buying, and everyone grumbles. The only people making money is the organisers. It's money for old rope, people will (unfortunately) pay as they think it's the done thing, we need to stop funding this.
View on Reddit #6031394

cayennepepper@reddit

Car boots have been doing that for decades. Not all of them though. They used to let me in for free anyway when i told them i was under 18
View on Reddit #6031053

Live-Dance-2641@reddit

Lots of craft fairs and collectibles events charge entry. I don’t go because of it
View on Reddit #6029850

Infrared_Herring@reddit

Lol there's no way I'd pay that.
View on Reddit #6029586

DoomPigs@reddit

Depends how good the market is I guess, I'd probably pay once to go in and have a look around
View on Reddit #6029207

Anyna-Meatall@reddit

American lurher (usually) here. Does the UK have shoplifters going crazy like the US? Could it be an anti-theft measure?
View on Reddit #5985811

DoomPigs@reddit

It's probably to deter people who aren't committed to buying stuff, rather than deter thieves. They don't want loads of people standing around wasting time, not buying anything and they think that someone who is willing to pay £3 is more likely to go in there and actually buy stuff
View on Reddit #6029126

callisstaa@reddit

There's a lot of shoplifting here I guess but it's not like Aladdin with people pinching apples from carts etc. Shoplifters are more likely to hit up a supermarket that they know and understand the security in rather than go to a market and steal artisanal bread
View on Reddit #5991835

Johnny_Vernacular@reddit

I'd happily pay £3 so I don't have to hang out with the type of person who thinks £3 is a lot of money.
View on Reddit #6028620

Click_To_Sign_In@reddit

I guess it is to stop people going in who will just wander round not buying anything getting in the way.
View on Reddit #6028051

pizza_goes_splat@reddit

Where's this? I've never heard of markets actually charging to enter. Yes it's absurd
View on Reddit #6024553

QOTAPOTA@reddit

Anyone else go into these crafty places and see some lonely trader (probably selling home made gift cards or place settings or worse candle melts!) with no customers and think how do you make enough from this. I avoid looking at some stalls because I feel so guilty when I walk away empty handed. Avoid eye contact and mumble thank you.
View on Reddit #6023941

dessskris@reddit

More context please. What type of market is it? Running a market isn't cheap and requires a lot of organisation. They have to pay venue/table hire, marketing, insurance, etc. Some markets may also put on live music so that's something you could enjoy without buying anything. I've seen some markets that charge for entry but they might not charge stallholders as much for a table - so these are better for small businesses. It really depends on the type of market, if it's something niche people will pay knowing they're interested in the goods. For example food festival tickets are easily £20 or more and they don't give out food samples anymore. Maybe at sauce stalls. But you still have to pay for your lunch. If it's a general farmer's market that happens weekly it's very unusual for them to charge an entry fee.
View on Reddit #6016121

shaquille-oatmeal22@reddit

*Costco has entered the chat*
View on Reddit #6015895

Timely_Egg_6827@reddit

Gone to markets with entry fees. They seem to usually be specialist markets with small companies. Thing people forget is markets need to get their money somewhere to pay for rent, toilets, cleanup, electricity, parking and parking attendants and often broadband booster or free entertainment. They can either charge the stallholders £100+ to attend which means a lot fewer small businesses will attend as margins thin. Some shows I've seen ground rents of £10k but that was for large tractor manufacturer at agricultural shows. Rates can be tailored and they may be paying entertainers to come or giving them free entry but get all monies raised. Or they charge a small entrance fee and not charge the traders or less so get a better variety as smaller traders can attend. Also more likely to have add on entertainment like a music stage and a better day out. I do often find that stall holders offer entrance charge back or special show discounts of a percent off so it can be worth going to a paid show as you break even on spend if you buy a purchase.
View on Reddit #5985257

badgerfishnew@reddit

For events you're not far off, (for food festivals or similar, not a street market from the local council) infrastructure costs are quite staggering when you write them down. For example a smaller provincial event that I run (up to 150 stands approx) £4k council land/venue hire, £3k marquee hire, £4k stage and sound, £1k generator fuel, £1k waste desposal, £1k portaloos, £1k insurance, £2k security, £3k staff, £1k banners and ads, £2k logistics, to name a few, then things like Heras fences, ped barrier, cabling, warehouse, consumables,licenses, courses etc etc which businesses need to run, I think people just see events and maybe don't realise all the work that goes into them to get them there on the day.
View on Reddit #5990890

Kinelll@reddit

30 years of events behind me. You are not wrong. If anything that sounds cheap for that many stands. Put it in a field and you have a load of extras like water and site lighting if late. Add on foul weather insurance. Loud music, add environmental control.
View on Reddit #6015675

Timely_Egg_6827@reddit

I help a charity at events and as usual two or three day events, you camp over and speak to organisers and traders. Costs are scary and only takes a bad year or worse two in a row and regular events can fold. Been a few this year really hit by the weather and yes, insurance covers damage but most traders don't have for loss of earnings.
View on Reddit #5992767

Professional_Net7907@reddit

If you're a cheapskate then I'm a cheapskate because there's no way that I'd pay an entry fee just to get into a place where me buying things is the only way any of the sellers can hope to make a profit and stay in business. I used to go to a 'Pick Your Own' strawberry farm where people went picking their own strawberries then bought them to take home. Went back after about decade of staying away (even though it was a 50 minute drive away) and there was an entry charge of £5 per adult and £3 per kid PLUS the strawberries cost *far* more than those sold at supermarkets. It would have cost £19 for us to go in, pick our own fruit in the hot sun, being pestered by a billion insects every second we were there, THEN get charged three times more than the same strawberries would cost us at the supermarket that is a two minute drive away. I look the woman and 3 kids looking for creepy crawlies under rocks then, a few months later, we all went picking raspberries (or blackberries?) on the many bramble bush hedgerows that are used to separate fields (lots of thorns means they're good as boundary fences). That was 2021 and we still have several jars of the jam that was made from the fruit.
View on Reddit #6013938

irritatingfarquar@reddit

Is this a general market or a specialist market? Because I've heard of specialist markets doing this but giving the entry fee as a discount and their reasoning was to keep out the looky Lou's who don't buy anything.
View on Reddit #6013023

savvymcsavvington@reddit

Paying to get into a market? Fuck that, that ain't a market.
View on Reddit #6012649

theplagueddoctor@reddit

Wut
View on Reddit #6012415

YoshiiBoii@reddit

Is it such a bad thing if the markets die? I, for one, have only ever had bad experiences. Being harassed by stall owners for not buying anything, most of the time they sell absolute shite no one wants or needs. Once had an old lady on an 'electronics' stall try selling me a VHS player with what I was hoping was cola spilled on it for £20 in 2016, I'm pretty sure she had never seen a DVD player never mind any concept of Netflix.
View on Reddit #6011846

sweet-chaos-@reddit

I happily pay to go to big special markets, such as the Christmas Market at a local stately home, which costs around £7. The price here allows you access to the market (30+ tents usually) and the live music being played there, and also to the stately home and gardens, which you would usually have to pay more for. It therefore also pays for the upkeep of the property and area, the wood burnt in the fires surrounding the place to keep you warm, and other stuff I assume. But my town also has a bi-weekly market consisting of 5-10 stalls in the centre of town. I would not pay entry for this as it is much smaller, and I financially support it anyway by buying meat at a stall weekly. So special markets, fair enough, but regular markets in historic market towns? Nope.
View on Reddit #6011712

Reddit-adm@reddit

It keeps the scumbags out. Same for funfairs. I'm fine with that.
View on Reddit #6010839

anonymouslyyoursxxx@reddit

Never heard of that. Have to say I wouldn't pat.
View on Reddit #6009773

anonymouslyyoursxxx@reddit

Or even pay
View on Reddit #6009783

computer-machine@reddit

Don't y'all have pay shitters?
View on Reddit #6009580

InTheMidwestOhgreat@reddit

I would not pay to SHOP at a market! If I spend money it will be on things that are for sale! I swear, everything is a con job anymore!
View on Reddit #6009184

Vickyinredditland@reddit

Pre COVID I ran a cake stall at markets, we did artisan markets, food festivals and craft fairs and I always hated the ones where the organisers charged entry fee, the customers were always grumbling about it and I agree, I wouldn't want to pay to go shopping. The only time I think it's excusable is if it's for charity.
View on Reddit #6008782

Amazing-Window-346@reddit

You have to pay to get in?
View on Reddit #6007101

Scragglymonk@reddit

i go to what could be described as a craft fair a few times a year, cost is £2-4 to get in, no big deal if it is a general weekly market then would decline the offer
View on Reddit #6006531

Spottyjamie@reddit

That one nearly chorley done that, closed down now
View on Reddit #5989911

WiggyDiggyPoo@reddit

Botany Bay? Chorley's actual market seems really good now, The Bob Inn I'd bet drives a lot of business to the market.
View on Reddit #6002731

Spottyjamie@reddit

Aye there!! They charged admission
View on Reddit #6004595

seesaws91@reddit

I’m a festival and craft market trader and I avoid trading at any markets that charge an admission. Obviously festivals are a different bag. Honestly it rubs me up the wrong way charging customers just to have a look, seems so exclusive. So much of my trade comes from people ‘just having a browse’ and they get into a convo with me about my products and business and then they invest. Pitch fees are hundreds at a local level and thousands at a festival level, charging admission on top seems greedy. (Festivals excluded from this of course as people aren’t primarily coming to shop, unlike craft markets.)
View on Reddit #6003988

RunawayPenguin89@reddit

It would depend on if that cost mean the traders are getting a cheaper pitch? My local ones are £40/50 for an 8x6 covered table, which if I have a bad day can make up a huge chunk of my takings. If they charged on the gates, meaning it could be £20, I'd be more likely to go back as there's less risk. If they still charged £50 they can get to fuck
View on Reddit #6003907

Organic_Armadillo_10@reddit

It does seem a bit silly. I went to some car boot sale/markets this weekend and they were free to enter. People were selling clothes for 50p, and so much stuff (though really junk, let's be honest) for practically nothing. These people pay to have their spot to sell, but I'm surprised they make anything at those prices. If I had to pay to enter I almost wouldn't bother unless it covered something extra (parking fee, or a free drink...). A lot of people going in there are looking to spend as little as possible. And a lot of the sellers are selling either junk or wholesale stuff that you could get cheaper elsewhere. I think overall you'll do better not charging entry. It'll mean more potential customers who might buy out of chance.
View on Reddit #6003747

jimthewanderer@reddit

That is utterly absurd and you should mock them openly.
View on Reddit #6003256

Apidium@reddit

£3 is what my market charged for a table pre covid. Charging that just to go in and look at some dodgy vapes, CDs I'm sure nobody buys and second hand clothing that the charity shops didn't want? I don't think so.
View on Reddit #6003208

_Dan_33_@reddit

Was this city centre or out-of-town venues? I went to a paid entry market in an out of town venue and it was rubbish. This was years ago before the cost of living crisis etc. The venue is expensive to book, so the market stall holders cannot cover the demands of the landlord, so the entry fee makes up for the car parking etc. In reality, it was just the venue trying to make money for a day it had no bookings. Very few market stall holders of any quality, typical high prices to cover their overheads (rent, power, own transport costs, and marketing fee)... no QC on who could have a stall. A lot of traders didn't turn up. Most people went in and left rather quickly (say within 30 minutes of entering). I don't agree with entry fees for markets unless you are literally booking your attendance and getting a voucher for the same value... therefore in reality it doesn't cost you anything, unless you don't turn up or decide not to buy anything when you arrive. This would give an official attendance figure that can help grow the market for traders.
View on Reddit #6002937

MixDue5775@reddit

I have never heard of paying to enter a market in Britain and there would have to be a great attraction for me to pay it. DGH
View on Reddit #6002790

catfordbeerclub@reddit

Maybe it's to cover the cost of hiring the venue, if it's inside a building or on private land?
View on Reddit #5983552

Clever_Username_467@reddit

I ran a farmers market. The sellers rent a spot.
View on Reddit #6002415

IncapableOfLaughing@reddit

Costco? 🤪
View on Reddit #6002123

glenmcfarreddit@reddit

Yes, this is absurd. Don't pay. Stay away.
View on Reddit #6001306

JeniJ1@reddit

What kind of market is it? Need more context!
View on Reddit #6001132

Open-Sea8388@reddit

Yes. If you're gonna spend money there surely having to pay entry may put you off. Don't have to pay to enter shops
View on Reddit #6000900

Faithiepoo@reddit

I have turned on my heel and walked out of several craft fairs charging entry. It’s INSANE unless raising money for a specific charity
View on Reddit #6000839

Early_Hope_7201@reddit

Guess I'll just buy empty boxes from Amazon then 😂
View on Reddit #6000253

NuttyMcNutbag@reddit

Is this a London market per chance?
View on Reddit #5999729

kjcmullane@reddit

It’s the UK, they will literally charge you for anything.
View on Reddit #5999650

OldHeadReader@reddit

We had a farmers market that did something similar. $5 to get in, but ticket served as a $5 coupon. Kept the riff raff out.
View on Reddit #5998377

luciferlovesyou420@reddit

It could be just to make sure that everything is paid for. Samples are still products and if £100 people pay nothing but eat lots of samples then someone is losing out.
View on Reddit #5998267

sobrique@reddit

Nah, it's bollocks. I'm not ok with paying money for the privilege of spending yet more money.
View on Reddit #5997728

throwaway8008666@reddit

If it was a really nice area and the fee is intended to keep the poors out, I’d pay it. Country is overrun and if it helps cut the crowds and make things more pleasant I can see value in it
View on Reddit #5997414

Carra144@reddit

I guess it serves the duel purpose of reducing theft and increasing purchases. Like your less likely to just wander around looking and not buying anything if you had to pay three quid just to look. That said, it sounds like it would serve as a disincentive to even explore options to many, including me. Just shop in a supermarket/online.
View on Reddit #5996608

IntermediateFolder@reddit

Never came across anything like that and would not go into that market, exception would be perhaps if everyone knew the goods inside are HEAVILY discounted or something like that or maybe for charity.
View on Reddit #5996502

CurrentWrong4363@reddit

As long as it comes with free parking for that. My local outdoor Sunday market charges £1 entry
View on Reddit #5996351

blozzerg@reddit

So I organise these things. I think. I organise pop-up events with either one big shop or craft/vintage markets with lots of smaller tables and stalls. Could be similar to what you saw. Entry fee £3 first hour/£2 rest of day. I’ll break down the costs: Venue hire: I am responsible for paying this so I have to raise anywhere from £500 to £3000 depending on the venue; town centres where you have better footfall & better chance of passing trade cost more. I’d say 90% of my regular venues have increase by £200+ in the last year, one of them whacked the rate up by £800 when the fuel/electric bills went up at the start of the year. Promotion: Online adverts are the main way to get your event out there, usually via Facebook/Instagram but also Google ads or TikTok. An event will need a minimum of £400 spent on promo, the more you spend the more you’re seen…in theory. FB/IG have changed all the algorithms recently and adverts just don’t reach people like they used to, presumably because they’re haemorrhaging money so they need to encourage people to spend more on ads. Organic promo comes from things like social media posts or email marketing; my email platform with a big built up database of relevant users charges £120 to send 500,000 emails. Social media posts don’t reach people naturally like they used to so again you’ve either got to pay for ads or be super creative to get your event seen for free. Flyers and posters can be useful for people to hand out and advertise locally in advance. Flyers used to cost me 1p each, they’re now 3p each this year. Doesn’t sound much but when you order 3000 at a time it all adds up. Table hire: depending on the venue you may have to hire tables to give to traders to use, again I have to pay upfront. Fence hire: same as above, a few security fences may be required to control the market border or any queues to get in. Public liability insurance: always better to be safe than sorry, this is covered by me as well as the venues having their own too. Staff: I need a few people to help run an event, showing traders where to set up, directing customers, be a contact point between traders and the venue, security and safety, an info desk for customers, someone to be on the door and take the £2. Usually myself + 2 others, maybe more depending on the size of the venue. I pay those wages. Plus my own wage for organising the damn thing. That comes from the entry fee. Any profit is used to pay towards the next event. It’s a full time job so I have to book everything, advertise, secure traders, secure customers, manage social media, create all the content and promo etc. I can’t speak for what you attended, but for me and many others it’s a full time job. Obviously some do much less work than me just to generate some extra pocket money from the entry fees, but if it seems well put together and well organised then be mindful that it could be someone’s livelihood.
View on Reddit #5996093

FrogsNotWar@reddit

Here’s my tuppence worth from the perspective of a market trader! As others have said context is important and there’s lots of situations where it wouldn’t be appropriate to charge (ie. regular town markets, farmers markets where you can buy local produce etc.) But as a market trader myself, selling a non-essential product, I’ve sold at lots of different types of events. If the market is a craft-type affair with genuine handmade wares on offer, I’ve found that sellers (myself included) often do much better, sales-wise, if a small entrance fee is charged. Often these markets have a capacity for how many people can enter, and it does seem to be the case that if people have paid a couple of quid’s entrance fee they more inclined to properly look at the stalls on offer - I call it ‘browsing with purpose’. No it doesn’t mean that everyone will buy from every seller, but it does seem to shift peoples mind set. I for one get more sales, and also more engagement with people wanting to find out about what I do. As a seller you want the events to be well attended by people who want to look at your work, and I think the entrance fee does seem to help with this. I’ve done markets run by different organisers who use the same venue as the paid markets and from a sales and engagement perspective, they’re not as good. I do get that the idea of paying entry to browse before you know if there’s anything you’d want to buy is galling. And at the ones I sell at, I don’t think the entry fee subsidises what I pay for my table at all (usually around £70.) I think that if those organisers that choose to charge entry aren’t merely money grabbing wallys but are running a decent business, they have a real responsibility and incentive to curate the market well so that there’s a varied, high quality offering and a great atmosphere for people to browse (with purpose!) and also to do great advertising and marketing of the event so that people come to it. Yes I’m an ideal world that should be the case regardless, but we all know the world is less than ideal. Don’t get me wrong. When I attend markets as a customer I am picky about whether or not I will attend one with an entrance fee. I do my research, see if I can have a look in advance to find out what type of sellers will be there and would certainly not pay more than a fiver unless there’s more being offered than sellers to browse. And I don’t at all think every event should have this. But my perspective was definitely shifted when I started trading at paid entry markets - previously I never would’ve wanted to pay entry!
View on Reddit #5995882

Busy_Radio_2587@reddit

if they want to do that, they should charge £3 for entry, but you get a £3 voucher that you can redeem for something in the market (the vendor can then redeem this themselves for £3 from the entry money). That way the people just looking to waste time pay £3 to look around, and the people who genuinely wanted to buy something aren’t penalised….
View on Reddit #5995469

dbxp@reddit

Sounds absurd but probably due to the large amount of people going there just to browse and not buying anything
View on Reddit #5985430

fledgop@reddit

Foot traffic is notoriously harmful to market vendors.
View on Reddit #5990774

dbxp@reddit

It's not the foot traffic that's the issue but the fact that they have to go to the expense and effort to host a stall for few sales. If the cast majority are just browsing then they're going to charge for browsing, they have to make their money some way.
View on Reddit #5995338

Alert-Stress4@reddit

We have a **CAR BOOT** 3 miles away, **ITS A BLEEDING BIG ONE.** Parking was free, no charges to go in. It had been like this for 5 years. I decided to go there on Wednesday. Pulled into the parking area, there's a guy there with all the gear on. **WHAT'S THIS?** They were charging £1.50p to park and 50p to go into the **BOOT**. I said **NO WAY.** I turned around and went home.
View on Reddit #5995196

cyburn16@reddit

Car boot sales usually have 50p/£1 entry fees
View on Reddit #5995025

SupremeFlamer@reddit

£3 is wild. Charging entry to car boots/markets is also wild to me. Local one charged 50p years ago, it's likely more now. Even 50p annoyed me.
View on Reddit #5994963

shagsass@reddit

I wouldn't pay it.
View on Reddit #5994947

Millietree@reddit

OH dragged me & the kids to a local village 'craft fair' this afternoon, which none of us wanted to go to. 50p entry fee to walk around a bunch of stalls selling tat, too many dogs because there was also a dog show, a few vintage cars, an ice cream van and bouncy trampolines. Absolute cr*p.
View on Reddit #5994915

Linux_UserNo1@reddit

Yes, its one more barrier to getting a sale, so they're shooting themselves in the foot really. And for any sellers complaining about 'tire kickers' maybe they should actually try to sell their wares rather than stand back waiting. Source: I used to work retail for many years, got loads of sales because I engaged the customer always. When I left, my boss got angry because he admitted that sales were going to be affected .
View on Reddit #5994911

Zanki@reddit

50p - £1 to enter a large car boot sale with decent stuff at times. Sure, why not. £3 is a little absurd though.
View on Reddit #5994550

Virtual-Spring768@reddit

Simple dont go to a market that charges an entry fee...
View on Reddit #5993993

Anxious_Ad6026@reddit

Carboot near me £2 entry Food festival £5 entry gives you the right to buy overpriced food
View on Reddit #5993854

NymphoNaomi82@reddit

Yes, that's crazy! If they want to encourage people to shop with them it should be free entry!!
View on Reddit #5993826

Excellent_Tear3705@reddit

If it’s on public land, technically it’s illegal to exchange money for goods or service. A lady from the parish council dug up some arcane English law to stop me selling beer and pies for the august fait. Mobile card machine connected to the pub tills got around that…
View on Reddit #5993767

TrifectaOfSquish@reddit

Yes unless it's something a bit more niche like the Satanic Flea market then it is
View on Reddit #5993580

Illustrious-Rope-115@reddit

To those of you who are saying that it discourages the just lookers think on this . Anyone with a shopfront of any sort ( including stallholders ) should regard any sort of footfall with gratitude- even delight
View on Reddit #5993480

SchoolForSedition@reddit

It may be to offset the overall cost of setting il the market. Or not.
View on Reddit #5993415

Illustrious-Rope-115@reddit

I've been on about this for 20 years. I am NOT going to pay for the privilege of spending my money
View on Reddit #5993248

DuskyUK@reddit

Fucking stupid. It's effectively a pay wall for one of the only trades that push back against e-commerce. Get out.
View on Reddit #5993170

rebduck@reddit

It depends what you get for your entry fee. The Alternative Bring & Buy Sale in London (old goths* selling their size 10 miniskirts) charges a pound to get in, but you get a DJ and a bar to socialise in, so nobody begrudges that. It's designed as an experience/social event as well as a market. *like myself
View on Reddit #5993127

joshym0nster@reddit

There's a food festival happening in Norwich, its £18 entry to get in. Got into an argument on Facebook because I can't see the point paying the price of a meal for the privilege of buying a meal.
View on Reddit #5986513

Clever_Username_467@reddit

I paid £5 to get into a food festival once, but there were all kinds of events and activities and people doing presentations and stuff. You know...festival things. Not just a market.
View on Reddit #5988201

joshym0nster@reddit

I'm sure it suits some people, it's just not for me especially when the food will be festival prices/portions
View on Reddit #5992647

1968Bladerunner@reddit

Make it optional then sure. In return for a token for a free tea, coffee or cold drink somewhere on site then sure. But if a market tries it & succeeds, how soon before shops charge an entry fee to cover browsing?... after all they get little benefit from window shoppers, & have permanent overheads to take care of.
View on Reddit #5982190

adamneigeroc@reddit

There is a thing called showrooming where people go to a specialist shop, try on loads of gear, ask the staff lots of questions then go home and order it online for cheaper. Then people complain the high street is dying
View on Reddit #5984652

Thestilence@reddit

> Then people complain the high street is dying The media does, I don't think ordinary people care.
View on Reddit #5992629

-----1@reddit

It makes sense when the exact same thing costs less to have shipped directly to your house.
View on Reddit #5989294

worotan@reddit

> Then people complain the high street is dying They’re not necessarily the same people, you know.
View on Reddit #5988688

1968Bladerunner@reddit

I've had numerous similar situations - asked to quote for a design & print job, so do the research & give the client print job specs & prices, only for them to use my specs to get the job priced elsewhere so they have a like-for-like comparison. However, I understand that's just part of the price of being in business, & hope some will spend their money with me even after getting other prices, as they realise they're getting a certain level of service. I'm glad I'm service sector more than retail though - it's tough.
View on Reddit #5985057

catsnbears@reddit

I do lighting design and we charge £100 for copies of the spec which is refundable when buying products from us. They can get a free quote but if they want full layouts etc and designs then that’s chargeable and knocked off the end bill
View on Reddit #5987088

MostlyNormalMan@reddit

Yep, it was exactly the same when I worked in a kitchen/ bathroom showroom. Sundays were the worst, an endless stream of people who had vague ideas that they'd like their kitchen and bathroom 'done' one day, and would expect to be able to stroll in with some room measurements on a scrap of paper, sit down for two hours, have a free design done and then disappear. Probably the same people who look round show houses, or test drive cars they have no intention of buying.
View on Reddit #5987939

1968Bladerunner@reddit

Makes sense. I never start any design until given the go-ahead based on the quote anyway, & only do design if I'm also supplying the print... it's all or nothing!
View on Reddit #5987302

Lost_Afropick@reddit

Sometimes the people in the showrooms TELL YOU TO!
View on Reddit #5985821

quite_pyro@reddit

Shops charging to get in would make you re-evaluate how much you want to go inside. Maybe that's a good thing after all. It could finally put the 'High Street' in the ground where it belongs.
View on Reddit #5987241

YchYFi@reddit

It depends on the type of market. Generally one's that are more like fairs charge entry fees.
View on Reddit #5984110

gerrineer@reddit

Actually i get a lot of benefit from window shoppers..but i do work in the double glazing business
View on Reddit #5983891

1968Bladerunner@reddit

What a pane, I could see through that one immediately...
View on Reddit #5983982

Abstractteapot@reddit

That's a shame. I haven't been to a market in ages, but I loved being able to wonder and have a look. You always left with something.
View on Reddit #5992485

SpaTowner@reddit

I’ve been to things where you got the entry price back if you make a purchase. That seems fairer. If it’s the kind of market where stall holders offer tasting samples, they might find people just come to ‘graze’.
View on Reddit #5992279

prismcomputing@reddit

They're charging to get into the local car boot sale now too. And not just for people using the car park. They're charging people walking in also.
View on Reddit #5991976

POLISHED_OMEGALUL@reddit

lmao what, I wouldn't even go near that market.
View on Reddit #5991953

Whtzmyname@reddit

Markets should be free
View on Reddit #5991776

Gloomy_Custard_3914@reddit

That is absolutely absurd. What if you don't find anything you want to buy? That's just paying to walk around a market, silly.
View on Reddit #5991519

Walesish@reddit

Absurd, no way would I pay that.
View on Reddit #5991287

_DeanRiding@reddit

Never heard of this and I'd absolutely never pay that. Would you pay £3 to get into a supermarket? I don't even like paying £3 for delivery lol
View on Reddit #5991282

Odd_Variation_5957@reddit

carboot sale in London charges £5 to get in before 9am!! eg; princess may
View on Reddit #5991230

smokeywokeypokey@reddit

Traders seem to think they can shift their fees and costs onto the customers. If they're charged 10% on each sale for selling at a market, they'll ignore their increased trade and add 10% to all their goods. fuck em, don't buy a thing, don't go and see how long it lasts.
View on Reddit #5991128

Icefirezz@reddit

I'm gonna take a wild guess that it's either in the south......or Manchester.
View on Reddit #5991092

az22hctac@reddit

I would expect something like live entertainment, a show of some sort to justify the entry fee.
View on Reddit #5991029

Mammoth-Wait3544@reddit

This is a losing idea.
View on Reddit #5990887

Emergency_Mistake_44@reddit

I don't really see the big deal honestly for £3? (pun tbc) I feel like there's more outrage about it because it "never used to be like that!" whereas if from the dawn of time it was pay to get into a market no one would care until it became an astronomical figure like £5... For £3, you surely know someone goes to loads of hassle to arrange it, provide certain amenities, clear up after and so on. You're not going every day, probably not even every week. I'm relatively low income too incase the above sounds like £3 is nothing to me but at the same time some comments are going on like the market charging £3 entry is gonna cripple the country or something.
View on Reddit #5985773

fledgop@reddit

I pay by spending money at the stalls, but I'm not spending a penny if they charge to enter. It's short sighted.
View on Reddit #5990868

adamMatthews@reddit

> For £3, you surely know someone goes to loads of hassle to arrange it, provide certain amenities, clear up after and so on. The stalls better have a massively reduced rent then, because that's what's supposed to cover those costs. Otherwise the organiser is driving people away and taking profits away from the seller, just so they can pocket £3 per person who enters.
View on Reddit #5986576

gandyg@reddit

Yes. I like a wander around a market and even I'm not looking for anything in particular I can always be tempted and the option is there to spend money. If I'm getting charged just to look then I'm not going to pay and any potential spending has gone. I'm sure I'm not the only one either. In a market the stall holders pay to pitch a stall so the land holder/council/event planner is already making money. A charge on top of that is just greedy imo. If it was guaranteed that the charge paid for the event and the stall holders took home all the money I would probably be more willing to pay it.
View on Reddit #5990684

FalseJames@reddit

I paid a fiver in to Malvern Flea this morning. what sort of market are you talking about?
View on Reddit #5990675

HettySwollocks@reddit

Could it be a token payment to stop the local miscreants
View on Reddit #5990386

GreatKraken@reddit

Make it optional, have some samples of food and drink at all the stalls available to those with the pass. That way, even the ones who don't buy anything get something from it, and there'll be a few quid to cover the parking lot rental or whatever the hell it's needed for.
View on Reddit #5990213

StealthyUltralisk@reddit

If they are trying to weed out time wasters they should sell a £3 voucher at entry that can be redeemed at any stall.
View on Reddit #5989800

prove_this@reddit

Yeah, I decided not to go to the German christmas market in hyde park over it last year.
View on Reddit #5989714

tatz26@reddit

There was a bookshop in a little Yorkshire village that would charge entry and refund if you bought anything. First time we went he tried to charge and my husband just told him not to waste his time taking and then giving back money. There is no bookshop in the land I’ve left empty handed 😂
View on Reddit #5989641

Intruder313@reddit

Never seen that but that would put me right off.
View on Reddit #5989593

NotTheOnlyOutcome@reddit

Go to a market, which by reputation are cheap places to buy, only to be charged £3 to get in? No thanks.
View on Reddit #5981777

NotRealWater@reddit

Especially when the bulk of the demographic for places like that are people who are actively looking to save money. Just shooting themselves in the foot
View on Reddit #5984073

CromulentSlacker@reddit

Where do you live? Markets around here are for farmers selling locally grown organic foods and things like that. They are for more affluent people, not those looking to save money.
View on Reddit #5985299

anonbush234@reddit

There are different kinds of markets. Sometimes on the same street. Near me there is a beautiful historic industrial site with those posh artisan markets and across the street there is often held a market in a community hall that is basically an indoor version of a shitty car boot with people looking for a bargain. There's also town markets and countless others, to assume all markets are just folk that can afford to chuck money away is silly. "Markets" as a concept are very variable even in a single area. There's also the issue of charging money to use public space if the venue is public space.
View on Reddit #5986473

NotRealWater@reddit

Yeah if you try to do ANYTHING in public the council will quickly be on your back wanting there cut lol
View on Reddit #5989313

NotRealWater@reddit

Don't know where you've been but most of UK isn't 'affluent' and hasn't been anyway close to that in oh.... Shall we say roughly 13 years
View on Reddit #5985424

CromulentSlacker@reddit

Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. I just meant that not all markets cater to people who want to save money. In those cases charging £3 isn't much of a problem.
View on Reddit #5985753

YchYFi@reddit

What you said was fine.
View on Reddit #5988006

JoshyLupin@reddit

Don't apologise: you weren't the rude one here, above commenter was.
View on Reddit #5986483

dbxp@reddit

Most markets aren't places to find cheap stuff these days, more places to find fancy local cheeses and the like
View on Reddit #5985559

TheRealTabbyCool@reddit

Permanent markets are traditionally cheaper, but things like craft markets, farmers markets etc. are usually more expensive artisan stalls, not the cheap stuff you’d get in the permanent markets. That’s the case where I’m from anyway, other places may be different!
View on Reddit #5985066

NotRealWater@reddit

It is absurd but I do see it a lot. Market runner and stall holders tend to be less business savvy in general and often don't put the effort in to understand marketing themselves properly and how that affects business. The problem is if they charge stall holders more then they get a set fee per day, but if they charge visitors then they have potential to make more money for more footfall. They're looking at the short term where as in the long term they'd be better off charging stall holders at a higher rate and stall holders would easily make back that money in sales.
View on Reddit #5983974

Timely_Egg_6827@reddit

A lot of traders seem pretty savvy to me and quite a few put in from own pockets to market events or will attend with little guarantee to seed new markets to get buzz up with hope to profit in future years. But there is a choice of markets and individual traders can't afford to go to many where they can't make enough to cover costs let alone pay themselves an income. Fewer traders, fewer people come and you get a death spiral and no market. Cake tomorrow doesn't buy bread now and a lot of smaller traders very badly hit by Covid. Less reserves and many more have a presence online so risking a loss-making market less attractive.
View on Reddit #5989152

Dexiro@reddit

There are a lot of valid reason for a market to charge entry. One I haven't seen mentioned here yet is that some markets have a limited capacity and still get extremely busy even with the entrance fee, the fee is intentionally meant to deter people.
View on Reddit #5988923

wgilpin@reddit

Cheaper than the Single Market
View on Reddit #5988809

Bittersweet-crumble@reddit

Absolutely absurd, we paid to get into a drink and food festival, got absolutely nothing whislt there, it was a complete waste of time and we wouldn't do it again. On the other hand we went to a free food and drink market the other week and bought a few things.
View on Reddit #5988230

amaluna@reddit

Absurd is a strong word. I don't like it but I at least understand it. For a lot of people having a browse around the market is form of entertainment/an activity in itself (even if they don't buy anything) which is fair enough for them, but then in that regard I think it's at least understandable that a person might want to charge for that.
View on Reddit #5988227

Over_Championship990@reddit

I've just been to a market and paid £5 for entry. 100% worth it.
View on Reddit #5988167

JimmyTheDog@reddit

Costco has entered the chat...
View on Reddit #5985675

YchYFi@reddit

Sadly don't qualify for it.
View on Reddit #5988165

ILive4Banans@reddit

It's common at things like thrift markets but usually it's because you're paying for the privilege of early entry so you can grab all the gems but a food market???
View on Reddit #5988034

fastestman4704@reddit

I dont think they are, no. If you aren't intending to buy anything, then you aren't a customer. And if you're aren't a customer, what you are is in the way. I imagine they aim for a price low enough to not bother people actually there to buy, but high enough to disuade people who are just tuere for a gander.
View on Reddit #5988017

lemon_protein_bar@reddit

I’ve never heard of paying to enter a market. Wtf. That’s ridiculous
View on Reddit #5987830

blacksmithMael@reddit

I think it depends on the nature of the market. When we do Open Farm we charge an entry fee, but we have more going on than just a bunch of stalls, so it isn’t just about shopping.
View on Reddit #5987698

Useful_Engineer_6122@reddit

Places like that can get so busy with window shoppers it puts off actual spenders, so I see the point. They should make it redeemable against a purchase.
View on Reddit #5983536

ShinyHappyPurple@reddit

> They should make it redeemable against a purchase. I'm opposed but I do think at least your suggestion is a bit fairer.
View on Reddit #5987082

Useful_Engineer_6122@reddit

I figure it’s the market’s choice. If it’s a bog standard fruit and veg thing it seems off, but if it’s more the artisan foods / speciality products / crafts end, it’s their call. After all, we live in (drum roll) a market economy.
View on Reddit #5987597

ShinyHappyPurple@reddit

And we apply this "it's the market's choice" logic incredibly selectively as a country.....
View on Reddit #5987637

Garrett8319@reddit

Window shoppers can become purchasers though. I've gone into shops purely to waste time whilst waiting for an appointment or the train and ended buying something.
View on Reddit #5986139

StrangeKittehBoops@reddit

Depends on the context. People pay that to go to a car boot sale and look at junk. We have a farmers market with craft stalls that we pay to go to. The entrance money pays for parking, upkeep, and a percentage goes to charity. If it's a normal daily street market with knock-off clothing, tat, and veg, then I would not pay an entry fee.
View on Reddit #5987599

Grotbagsthewonderful@reddit

Nickel and diming finally made it to the UK I see, I expect we'll start seeing charges for museums and local parks next.
View on Reddit #5987583

axomoxia@reddit

Blackbushe Market used to charge a nominal fee (50p) when it was going, but that was huge enough to need a marshalled car park. Anything less than that is rather disappointing
View on Reddit #5987570

Hairy-Motor-7447@reddit

You can not pay it and don't go
View on Reddit #5983661

Secure_Flow_3067@reddit

Don't be absurd. Of course you have to go /s
View on Reddit #5987384

brookeslegit2@reddit

Sounds like someone’s just charging a middleman fee for nothing
View on Reddit #5987264

Sophyska@reddit

I think that’s fair depending what sort of market. For artists and creators it helps with the running of the markets and gives them a bit back if they don’t have a good day. For knock off dvds, wolf fleeces and a man selling meat from a truck then I wouldn’t pay (ahh Bovingdon, a key venue of my childhood)
View on Reddit #5987261

Ok_Student_3292@reddit

I buy from the market because they work out cheaper than supermarkets. It's usually not much, only a few quid cheaper, but feels like I'm doing my bit. They're talking about bringing in a fiver entry fee, which will officially make shopping in the market more expensive than going to the supermarket. If they want to encourage people to shop local, they're going about it arse backwards.
View on Reddit #5987253

Bratster22@reddit

Costco has entered the chat.
View on Reddit #5987117

ShinyHappyPurple@reddit

I'm sure busy markets can get away with this but I wouldn't like it. So many times I go shopping for something broad and pretty basic and don't find anything to buy.
View on Reddit #5986882

8bitPete@reddit

Its a money grab plain and simple.
View on Reddit #5986850

TheZamboon@reddit

I'd happily pay £3 if there were less unaware dawdling idiots walking around slowly because they have nothing better to do. The entry fee probably narrows it down to people who actually want to be there/buy something.
View on Reddit #5986836

dewey185@reddit

Farmers markets tend to be free entry, small food festivals putting on some entertainment etc charge an entry fee. All down to the organisers. The stall holders will pay a fee to be there, small farmers markets range from £10-50 per day and food festivals can be upwards of £200 per day to trade there
View on Reddit #5985209

YchYFi@reddit

Food festivals charge by square metre. Usually £100-200 per square metre. They aren't that cheap.
View on Reddit #5986402

dewey185@reddit

No they don’t. Some events charge per sqm, some charge a flat fee. I said upwards of £200 per day, they’re not all 1 day festivals.
View on Reddit #5986485

YchYFi@reddit

This is true. Ludlow charges £420 for their three day festival plus other charges for sockets £65 - £160, cable for card machine £40 and also charge for table and chairs, reusable cups on top. So it can be quite pricey before VAT.
View on Reddit #5986726

Thousandgoudianfinch@reddit

£3 pah I'm to pay £7 to shop for exotic invertebrates
View on Reddit #5986688

Mossley@reddit

Depends. If it gives me £3 off a purchase once in, that’s ok. Otherwise, they can get lost.
View on Reddit #5983600

Commodontious@reddit

If it gave you 10% of whatever you buy (encouraging bigger purchases to get more discount but sell more expensive stuff and make more money) then fine. I wouldn't pay £3 to get £3 off a £200 item. Might as well just pay £200 to the individual business and not to...whoever that entry fee goes to.
View on Reddit #5985016

badonkadonked@reddit

Surely the point is tho that if you weren’t paying the £3 entry fee, the stall holder would be paying an extra £3 towards the rent of the stall - so technically your £3 IS going towards the individual business. Tho I realise that £3 off £200 is not the kind of deal that would make you think “oh man I gotta have this”
View on Reddit #5986621

basicstyrene@reddit

That doesn't work though because if everything is own produce/craft etc. then being 10% reduced from some arbitrary benchmark is completely pointless, they could have just set the prices 11% higher in the first place since no one would be paying the original price.
View on Reddit #5985271

JosiesSon77@reddit

I wouldn’t pay it, and I’d give whoever was charging it a piece of my mind.
View on Reddit #5986489

adamMatthews@reddit

It is absurd, because you have no idea what you'll find until you're inside. There was a street fair near me recently, big signs all around the county. Said there would be food and activities and market stalls. Drove 40 minutes to get there and got charged £5/person for entry. And then the food was dodgy burgers for £12 each, the activiteis were things like listening to the village choir or a coconut shy, and the stalls were 80% reselling ali-express crap for a 10-20x markup. I made a game out of it and tried to find the products on AliExpress/Temu, and there were £0.80 on the table for for £25+. After that I've completely lost faith. I'm now convinced that any market that charges entry is just making up for the fact everything inside is absolute shite and isn't making enough money to cover renting the stalls.
View on Reddit #5986302

DameKumquat@reddit

If it's in a building or confined space, it'll be partly to control numbers. Especially if it's something like a fetish market where they want to reduce gawkers. And the site needs paying for and clearing up.
View on Reddit #5986295

mikolv2@reddit

Depends on that kind of market it is, if it is quality local produced stuff you would have as a treat, the sorts of place just going to is entertaining, then I could pay. If it’s regular old shite that’s always there, no way.
View on Reddit #5986135

Clever_Username_467@reddit

Yes, it's absurd and I wouldn't pay it.
View on Reddit #5986079

Kitchen-Pangolin-973@reddit

Never come across it but I wouldn't be going in if I saw that
View on Reddit #5986032

BombayMix64@reddit

That's completely insane. I don't understand what the world is coming to. What planet are they on.
View on Reddit #5985703

ABigAssHoover@reddit

So my example is not a market as such but I’ve been to a place with food and alcohol like this. Likely there will be someone owning/operating the grounds and they will charge someone to enter, which I agree is stupid. They will then charge vendors to operate on the land and provide the things people actually want. Seems bad on the face of it but it’s almost like a festival and the model clearly works otherwise they wouldn’t do it
View on Reddit #5985667

Da5idG@reddit

Went to an oyster festival in Maldon once. Bought £8 tickets in advance, assuming you'd get something like, well, oysters maybe? Nope. A chance to queue up to buy seafood that was available cheaper at several local outlets!
View on Reddit #5985337

royalblue1982@reddit

A friend told me a story about how he'd gone to one of these local markets and was looking at this stand selling 'organic olives'. He thought they looked good so asked them to fill up what he thought was a pretty small plastic tub. They then ask him for £19 for it and he just laughed and walked away. Look - There's a reason that supermarkets are able to sell things at lower prices and I get that it's not fair to local producers just trying to make a small profit on their costs. But . . still . . in a free market you can't be surprised when people laugh at you and walk away.
View on Reddit #5985255

redqueensroses@reddit

I think it's only acceptable if you get something for the entry fee - eg if it's more of a festival vibe with live entertainment, plenty of free samples on the food stalls.
View on Reddit #5985197

ILive4Banans@reddit

It's common at things like thrift markets but usually it's because you're paying for the privilege of early entry so you can grab all the gems
View on Reddit #5985116

izzyofc@reddit

Sounds like a costco 😂
View on Reddit #5985025

HussingtonHat@reddit

Lol. They can fuck right off. Tell me no one was big enough a schmuck to pay it.
View on Reddit #5984955

darren_of_herts@reddit

if the market is on private ground, then I guess its up to the market organisers if they want to charge. If its held on public land then its obsurd to charge people to look around. I would just barge in and walk through without paying. I mean what could they do to stop me?
View on Reddit #5984899

Wizards_Win@reddit

Depends. Do they provide toilets, security, what's the rent, rates, how nice is it etc. Also keeps riff raff out, only people who legitimately want to buy something so doesn't get crowded with cheapskates, potentially putting off people with money.
View on Reddit #5984890

Clamps55555@reddit

Was charge £2 each to enter a local pop up flower market. Wouldn’t do it again.
View on Reddit #5984801

Violet351@reddit

There was a Christmas market near where I live and the first year it was free to enter and I spent quite a bit of money. Next year they charged and I didn’t go back
View on Reddit #5984791

BlackJackKetchum@reddit

There’s an enormous antiques centre (Hemswell, Lincs) in my part of the world, and it charges a rather contemptible fifty pence entry fee on Sundays, with that refunded on a purchase. Given antiques / curios / nick nacks, yadda blah are hardly necessary purchases, I’d be amazed if many people went to Hemswell with zero intention to purchase but solely to look.
View on Reddit #5984754

fluffypuppycorn@reddit

Where was this?
View on Reddit #5984599

Intelligent-Meat2838@reddit

Has it recently been restored or upgraded? I assume this is some way to encourage non attendance so they can say it’s financially unviable and sell the space to developers/supermarkets.
View on Reddit #5984562

carolinosaurus@reddit

Actually went past a yoga studio with a pop up market yesterday, charging a quid to get in. Partner and I didn’t have a couple of quid change so they let us in anyway and we ended up buying some artisanal soap.
View on Reddit #5984453

Low-Total9121@reddit

What sort of market is it?
View on Reddit #5984414

Aggravating-Doubt-65@reddit

Markets are struggling to make money so impose stuff like this but in turn keeps people away so they make less. Markets are in death spiral. Other than very Instagramable artisan markers which pop up once a month or so that trendies like to go to to show the world "look at the traditional thing from time gone by I'm doing" they treat it like walking around a live action museum.
View on Reddit #5984175

28374woolijay@reddit

Maybe everything inside is free, but you’ll never know because didn’t pay the fee.
View on Reddit #5983832

rezonansmagnetyczny@reddit

Helps cover costs without passing it onto traders.
View on Reddit #5983744

zubeye@reddit

It refects why people go. If it's the kind of thing people go to potter about look at pretty stuff and maybe buy one thing, then it's fair enough. If it's a market people actually buy stuff they need, then it makes less sense
View on Reddit #5983665

KundaliniEnergy777@reddit

£3 is nothing
View on Reddit #5982382

treeseacar@reddit

That's dumb. I have seen events with an entry fee but usually these are for high end things like art sales or designer sales. I guess charging an entry ticket gives assurance that people coming are likely to buy something. But for an average farmer market or boot fair no way am I paying for entry.
View on Reddit #5982369

Visible_Statement888@reddit

Don’t pay it, they’ll soon drop it if footfall is down. Ridiculous fee.
View on Reddit #5982121

mjezaaaaaa@reddit

doesn't sound like a big deal honestly
View on Reddit #5982089

Garrett8319@reddit

I wouldn't pay. I'd walk away on principle. I mean, what's their justification? What benefit do I get paying their entrance fee? If they're guaranteeing some amazing deals then perhaps but it doesn't sound like it.
View on Reddit #5981836

neidanman@reddit

Not sure, but i know our local farmers market ceased trading recently, so maybe inflation etc is hitting them badly?
View on Reddit #5981791

bornleverpuller85@reddit

Like a carboot style market?
View on Reddit #5981717

YchYFi@reddit

What market is that?
View on Reddit #5981669