Salamanca Market stallholders slam Black Friday sales push
Stallholders have rubbished plans to hold a Salamanca Market Black Friday sale, which they say is a cheap Americanisation which will cut into their already-thin profit margins. HAVE YOUR SAY >>
Tasmania
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PLANS to hold a Salamanca Market Black Friday sale have caused a rift among stallholders, with some saying it is a cheap Americanisation which will cut into already-thin profit margins.
The initiative was jointly launched by Hobart City Council and the Salamanca Market Stallholders Association as a way to draw in more shoppers.
The day following Thanksgiving — or Black Friday — is now one of the busiest shopping days of the year in the United States, with retailers worldwide now using the day as a chance to lure shoppers both instore and online.
But the idea to bring it to the Salamanca Markets caused heated debate on social media, with many stallholders saying council should not be encouraging locals to reduce their prices — especially when they are still recouping lockdown losses.
One stallholder, who spoke to The Mercury on condition of anonymity, said she couldn’t afford to drop her prices any lower and still remain viable.
“We’re not America, we’re not Amazon or eBay, we can’t drop prices any further, especially in these hard Covid times,” she said.
“Black Fridays aren’t suited for Salamanca, we’re more an artisan market. These are handcrafted products that take our time and expertise, and you don’t want to devalue that.”
Another stallholder who commented on Facebook said they “personally hate this American crap” that saw large companies like Amazon selling cheap manufactured items that ended up in landfill within days.
“ … this is not the society we want in Tasmania,” the stallholder said.
“What we need to be promoting is buying less, buying quality from small local makers. This goes against every thing Brand Tasmania stands for and should stand for.”
Some others suggested the council offering free parking and operating the Derwent River ferry on Saturdays to lure locals to the Salamanca Markets would have more long-term benefits than asking stallholders to participate in a one-day sale.
Salamanca Market Stallholders Association’s Carl Sykes said the “vast majority” of stallholders were in favour of a Black Friday sale to draw in more visitors.
Moreover, Mr Sykes said the sale was entirely optional, and that stallholders didn’t have to offer discounts if they were unwilling or unable to.
“Why are people always looking for what’s wrong? We’re trying to come up with new initiatives to bring in more customers, rather than just moaning,” Mr Sykes said.
“We’re Salamanca people. To be a stallholder you’ve got to be innovative, resilient, to think outside the box. If you don’t come up with ideas the world doesn’t change.”
Janelle Larkin, who runs the group Plug A Business Tasmania, said the idea would create a rift between stallholders who could afford to drop prices and those who could not.
Ms Larkin said she applauded the stallholder association for trying to come up with new ideas, but that a Black Friday sale wasn’t it.
“We don’t go down to Salamanca market to get cheap deals. We go down there to buy directly from the people who make products locally and to support local,” Ms Larkin said.
“Salamanca Market is a special boutique market, and having a campaign like that hanging over it just diminishes its value.”
Hobart City Council CEO Kelly Grigsby said the council would support the Black Friday sale with a promotion called “It’s Our Saturday”.
Ms Grigsby said the initiative was intended to give a boost to stallholders while they waited for tourists to arrive with the border reopening on December 15.
“This is a stallholder-led initiative to promote and value-add to the local products available at the market,” she said.
“The types of special offers available will vary from stall to stall, based on each stallholder’s own preferences, and there is no requirement to participate.
“We hope the day will be well supported by local shoppers and provide a big lift for our hardworking and dedicated stallholders ahead of the borders reopening.”
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