I have a love-hate relationship with markets. Since Mandy and I are selling our product at a market two times a week, we feel like true market vendors. We start to recognize other vendors and are recognized more often. We both never would have thought that we would be market people.
But here we are. Most markets start at 10 or 11 in the morning. That means you can start building your stand two hours earlier. That means our alarm goes off between 6 and 7 o'clock. As I'm a night person, waking up at this time of day is really early for me. Obviously, that's one of the things I hate about being a market vendor.
Other things I hate are some (not all!) other market vendors. What I particularly hate is when they only think of themselves. You see, the streets and assigned spots are almost always small. So small that only one car can pass. So when someone is unloading his car, the rest will have to wait. If we're on time, I don't mind waiting. Sometimes I even help unload someone else's car so we can speed things up.
However, some market vendors take their time unloading. They are not aware of their surroundings, as they don't make eye contact and take their time. And when they finish unloading, you would expect them to move their car so everyone waiting can pass. But some vendors either have their heads up their bums, or really don't care about others. This is hateful behaviour, right?
Then, I hate the insecurity of a day at the market. We depend a lot on the weather. Rain is obviously not good. But this year we learned that too hot is equally bad. Every morning, we are unsure about how much we are going to sell. 99% of the people in the Netherlands don't think about a Thai curry in the morning. So when we ask them at 11.00 if they want to taste a Thai curry, we always hear: no, it's too early; no, I just had a coffee; no, we are going to have breakfast first, etc.
Exclusively hearing no is not a great start to the day. When it's about lunchtime, around 11.30, we have the first people who want to taste our curry. Then, when they taste, you can see their expressions change. Their eyes widen, they smile, and take another bite. When I ask them what they think about the flavor, it's almost always: delicious! So, from late mornings onward, the tide shifts and our Thais Tafelen cooking kits sell like hotcakes.
People's reaction to our product is obviously one of the things that I love. It's a sign that we've created a unique product that people really enjoy. Not to brag, but I think in comparison to other vendors, our stand is one of the top busiest stands. That makes me proud.
What also makes me proud is that when Thai women come to taste our curry, they are always sceptical at first. They know that supermarket Thai curries are nowhere near the real deal. But when they taste our curry, they give a thumbs up. Approved for the authentic Thai flavor! I love this.
Lastly, what I love is one of the reasons someone starts a business. At the end of the day, we count our blessings. It's such a special feeling to make money with a product that you have created. All the hard work and investments we've made are paying off.
All in all, the nice conversations we have with customers, friendly vendors, seeing people enjoying your product, and making money with your creation is so enjoyable that it overshadows the hateful things. As long as this is the case, I'm glad to be a professional market vendor.