Kirkgate Market, can it survive?

Cardiarms · Post by **Cardiarms** » Fri 13 Jan, 2012 6:13 pm

And the hairdresser closed.A recent addition to Butchers Row has been a South African butcher who makes cracking spicy sausages for BBQs and other interesting things.

jonleeds · Post by **jonleeds** » Fri 13 Jan, 2012 6:42 pm

Yes I'd agree that fruit / veg / fresh meat / fish are some of the better things about the market, but they are in the minority of positive things and I've genuinely found I can get cheaper stuff still in the supermarkets and when I'm shopping on a really tight budget I literally cant afford to shop in the market. I can remember a few weeks before xmas trying to get some bananas in the inside section of the market and I was told by one guy it was going to be over £1.40 for about 3 medium sized bananas, I put them back. I did find another stall where I bought some for about 80p for three but they were very ripe and I know that in Morrisons / Asda etc I can get a bigger / fresher bunch most of the time for just over half price (about 50p). I agree with what you say Cardiarms about car boot sales / ebay been the death knell of the second hand market, but the flea market went downhill before Ebay came along, someone said to me it was because they stopped allowing unlicenced traders to sell and if you wanted to sell regularly down there you had to have insurance etc. But I mean on a Sunday in the past I have sold on Dewsbury markets car boot sale where you can take over a market stall for the day. With the end of Pontefract Lane car boot sale on a Sunday they ought to introduce something like this at Leeds's outdoor market. I love the car boot sales, but unless you own a car many of them are difficult to get to. Not related to the market in particular but I dont understand why the price of fish is so grossly disproportionate to what its bought for wholesale. Yes I realise they have to make a profit, but last time I bought some haddock fillets in Leeds market to make a meal for two I ended up paying over £6..! And there wasnt really enough to feed a sparrow. When you see them buying in these fish markets they buy a box of the stuff for £30. Why is it such a massive mark-up? I mean we are implored to eat healthy stuff yet most of it - fresh fruit / veg, fresh meat and fish is way beyond the budget of a lot of people, especially if you are on low wages or benefits.

Cardiarms · Post by **Cardiarms** » Fri 13 Jan, 2012 6:51 pm

Bananas! How much? £1 a carrier bag usually, more than even I can eat.No idea about fish. My guess is refrigeration costs and a high level of wastage. Puzzling.

keyholekate · Post by **keyholekate** » Fri 13 Jan, 2012 7:28 pm

Ha Ha. .bleach of the peach! He had me there lol. I wont be going any more after been "done" and as someone suggested complain. . My return will depend on a reply.Another thing I bought was WD40 from a stall on the inside market,it was a little DIY stall and the chap told me that it had been dead all day,mainly because obviously people are spent up after Christmas but also said monthly wages was another nail in the coffin , he said round about the 16th it starts to pick up . He charged me £2.00 for the WD40 but I suppose I could have got one for a pound in the pound shop.I also had a mooch on butchers row and saw a Russian shop where I expected to see the Yorkshire Pie shop which I have also never been in but that was not there or did I miss it?.I dont know how Kirkgate Market can come back to life but Camden Market is an absolute joy to go to.

jonleeds · Post by **jonleeds** » Fri 13 Jan, 2012 7:47 pm

Yeah well I'm only shopping for myself at the moment, thats what I mean so 3-4 bananas shouldnt cost nearly £1.50 which is what the guy on one of the indoor stalls tried to charge me. I think they sometimes think they can say an amount and if the person is daft enough to pay it they will take the money, hence they are been blatently dishonest, and I'm not exaggerating. And the practice of selling people rotten fruit is definetely not a thing of the past. Only last year I bought one of those mixed bags of fruit from a well known fruit seller on the indoor market and half the bag was fit for the bin. What a con! The best time to visit the outside market to pick up a bargain is near closing time and you can pick up some fresh fruit and veg at virtually giveaway prices. Also in the butchers aisle and down 'Game Row' you'll find the traders offering some very good deals, but you still have to be careful, I noted one butcher was claiming to be offering a tray of meat that on closer inspection wasnt really any cheaper than the normal price, except he was shouting and hollering like it was the deal of the century! Its stuff like that going on that puts me right off. But you get this in supermarkets too, they'll say something is half price, when really the 'full price' was a vastly inflated price that they were never selling the item for anyway. Also some of the stuff that sells down the market is absolute tat, poor quality chinese imports and the prices arent even that competitive yet you are buying a low end product. I reckon that a lot of people who still use the market either do it out of habit, or they're not aware there are other places where they could get better value for better products and get better service. Of course it no news that the reason the market has been in decline over the past few decades is the rise of the supermarkets, which has also been blamed for the loss of most of our small traders in local town centres etc. But when the supermarkets can offer so much more its obvious people will shop there instead. I mean the farmers market is great for bringing a selection of fresh local produce into the city, but I dont believe the prices there are at all good value and its more of a fashionable place for 'gourmets' who can afford to buy that stuff shop. If the farmers can afford to sell their wares to supermarkets at rock bottom prices then surely they could at least market their products direct to us at reasonable prices and they'd still make a profit. Although I've heard that at some of these farmers markets the stallholders have to pay a couple of hundred pounds plus per day to sell, so when you consider they have to make that back before they break even then I guess thats why they charge what they do.Its a great place to go check out some different produce though and most stalls are happy to give you a taster of their goods. I went through it one Sunday morning on the way to the car boot sale and I was proper stuffed by the time I'd got round all the stalls!

Post by **chameleon** » Fri 13 Jan, 2012 8:10 pm

'Its stuff like that going on that puts me right off. But you get this in supermarkets too, they'll say something is half price, when really the 'full price' was a vastly inflated price that they were never selling the item for anyway.'Slightly away from the market but yes, a growing practice in supermarkets is to promote a range, pans for example ( mention no names but that should be enough for many to guess!) at 70% of with vouchers. Yes 70% off RRP - but what supermarket sells anything at RRP. After the offer the prices increased by only 3 or 4 pounds more than th 'offfer' price - and were then reduced by almost a half! Not an untrue advertising statement perhaps but a little less than complete when tempting you to buy. The old addage, let the buyer beware is a good one. If something seems to be just too good to be true - it probably isn't edit - true, that is or it's too good to be !

tilly · Post by **tilly** » Fri 13 Jan, 2012 10:56 pm

chameleon wrote: 'Its stuff like that going on that puts me right off. But you get this in supermarkets too, they'll say something is half price, when really the 'full price' was a vastly inflated price that they were never selling the item for anyway.'Slightly away from the market but yes, a growing practice in supermarkets is to promote a range, pans for example ( mention no names but that should be enough for many to guess!) at 70% of with vouchers. Yes 70% off RRP - but what supermarket sells anything at RRP. After the offer the prices increased by only 3 or 4 pounds more than th 'offfer' price - and were then reduced by almost a half! Not an untrue advertising statement perhaps but a little less than complete when tempting you to buy. The old addage, let the buyer beware is a good one. If something seems to be just too good to be true - it probably isn't Hi chameleon should your last statement be it probably is?

Post by **chameleon** » Fri 13 Jan, 2012 11:17 pm

Hi chameleon should your last statement be it probably is? Yes I see what you mean - I've added a bit to be clear

tilly · Post by **tilly** » Fri 13 Jan, 2012 11:44 pm

You know you have to make it clear for us old uns lol

BarFly · Post by **BarFly** » Sat 14 Jan, 2012 1:21 am

I too think that the market is unlikely to survive much longer.I feel a little ashamed that I don't usually think of the market when I want to buy anyting -- I still want the place to be around though.I have always known the market and known it was in an interesting building but it was only when a friend from scamdinavia visited and sent a picture to her mother of "this beautiful market" that I really took notice of how impressive it really is. In fact, I'd say the modern bits are still fairly rare and interesting to people not familiar with the region.