I feel the need to speak out on behalf of one of the most put-upon traders whose treatment last weekend plumbed new depths.Dominique has been a regular casual trader for quite a while. She is affable, friendly and manages to smile in the face of adversity. She sells leather bags which although not designed or made by herself, are bright, modern, inexpensive and there are few other bags on sale in the market that are better.
She is consistently the last trader to be allocated a pitch, but last Sunday she was more put-upon than usual. There were many new casual traders; I recognised some from Covent Garden's Apple Market, which I understand has contracted recently. (Could these people's appearance have anything to do with Whistler's remarks about Sunday spreads? There were no spreads last week.) In conjunction with the new traders, there was further pressure on space due to the food court overflowing into another row of stalls.
As a consequence, although every new casual was accommodated inside the market hall, Dominique was given a stall outside the toilets in Durnford Street, traditionally the crappiest pitch available. Insulting enough, you'd think. To rub salt in the wounds, she was not given an electricity supply all day in spite of pointing out the omission to management.
Just to press their point home and dump on her business to the greatest degree, the manager allocated a double pitch opposite Dominique to a trader selling cheaper bags.
Way to respect your regulars. Morons.
15 comments:
The treatment of this trader is one of the best examples of how Barny uses his management status to bully, intimidate and insult certain traders.
Let me explain -
There is a grading system.
Dominique falls in to the grade 4 category but with a good display (as said by the management). She has also been there for quite a long time now.
So it stands to reason that another grade 4 trader with a "poorer display" should be allocated after Dominique (there are several of these traders). But this is never the case.
Therefore, for some strange reason, the implementation of the grading system with regard to this particular trader is always, and I mean always, carried out incorrectly.
Either this must make her one of the most unlucky traders in the whole world or it must therefore mean this is a personal Barny issue against her. The latter is definitely true in this case although the reason why he chooses to belittle this trader in this way remains a complete mystery. I stress again, there is no other explanation for her plight other than this being a personal issue from the manager.
It is a very cruel way of treating someone who is just trying to make a living. I don't know how she has stood so tall having been subjected to this treatment for so long.
Barny's behaviour in this matter is totally wrong, completely ill judged and quite frankly, appalling.
To the personnel in Greenwich Hospital and Greenwich Space Management, how would you feel if one of your family was being treated in this way at work? What action would you want to happen? If you continue to let this type of intimidation carry on, then I really hope you can't sleep tonight, tomorrow night, the night after that, and so on and so on and so on....
I too have watched this stallholder being treated completely unfairly and with no respect. There is simply no need for it!
Her handbags are fake versions of designer products, fake Gucci, fake Chloe, fake Balenciaga, fake Channel etc. (although they are not advertised as such, many have minor adjustments to avoid trading standard issues) This isn't debatable. You can see all of the originals on the designer websites, or ask ANY woman walking past her stall, or any man that has shelled out anything between £800 to £1000 on an original. That's why she is considered to be a less valuable trader than any one else. (cheap Chinese imports) Are you new to Greenwich Market? Now I'm not in the handbag business, so I couldn't give a shit, good luck to her, but have bought designer originals for both my Wife and Daughter. [AG] you're being a dick.
And you're a Dickhead
I'm shocked, if not actually surprised, by the comment attacking Dominique. I'm surprised it's taken the morons so long to have a go at a trader here. The only reason I've allowed this vituperative filth onto the blog is to make some comments of my own.
First and foremost, Dominique's handbags are NOT fake versions of designer products. If, as you say yourself, they have "minor adjustments to avoid trading standard [sic] issues", then they don't violate trading standards laws. And if they don't violate trading standards laws, they're not fakes and can be sold legally. Pretty obvious if you think about it. Dickhead.
So you can see the originals on designers' websites can you? Well I'm no expert on handbags ducky, so I'm not qualified to comment on the specifics of Dominique's bags. But I do know how the fashion world works. Every major high street fashion retailer sells garments and accessories that are similar to the designers' originals. They are not identical - that would be illegal - but they're similar. That's how the whole fashion world works. This is going to come as a shock to you, but when it comes to fashion, people want to buy what's fashionable. The clue's in the word. I suggest you take a good hard look at your own wardrobe and see how much of it is based on designers' originals. Dickhead.
So you're wealthy enough to buy designer originals are you? Well good for you. Most visitors to Greenwich Market don't have that kind of disposable income (or if they do they don't dispose of it here). If you do, I'm happy for you. Take your attitude and your money and throw it at designers - they need your support to maintain their originality. Stay away from the decent people trying to make an honest, legal living at Greenwich Market. You probably don't climb down from your ivory tower long enough to notice that everyone else needs places like Greenwich Market, M & S, Next, Primark, etc. Dickhead.
I still can't understand why you even felt the need to comment on Dominique's product. Anyone selling hookey gear in the market gets their product pulled by Trading Standards and GSM boot them out - quite rightly. Trading Standards are happy with Dominique's product and so are GSM who, as the first commenter advises us, have given her a category 4 grading and recognised the quality of her display. Her stuff, like everyone else's, is constantly vetted by GSM. Are you saying that GSM are letting her sell fakes? Not a chance. Dickhead.
Dominique's treatment had nothing to do with her product, everything to do with abuse of power. If you can't see that and can't understand why she, and others like her, need to be defended, then I hope you get a chance to experience the management shafting. And don't come whimpering to me for sympathy. Dickhead.
This blog exists for people like Dominique - not you. Don't bother trying to make your fatuous comments here again. You're barred.
Dickhead.
FANTASTIC RESPONSE - WELL SAID MARKETEER
And so say all of us. Barr the DICKHEAD.
lol couldn't agree more, unfortunately, Dickhead as he shall now be known left an anonymous post, barring him will be difficult
Fair point, jakebenji, but remember this is a moderated blog, so any comment I don't want published, isn't. I'll be keeping my nose ready for any faint whiff of Dickhead.
Dominique for president!!!!
I am a trader who has bought several bags from Dominique. I can vouch that they are very well made, very well designed and very competitively priced.
Dominique does not deserve the treatment that she has had to endure.
Oh dear, Penny Packer's been resurrected!
-Just get over it- Dominique sells great bags.
Dominique- je t'aime!
I hope your husband doesn't get jealous- as he's a top bloke.
I agree with Whistler- fashion is fashion! Everyone gets ideas from everyone else- I think originality will see you through too- but people have been capitalising on current trends for years and there's nothing wrong with it- it's a simple question of supply and demand.
Turning this idea on its head- and the grading system for that matter- does this designer website remind us of any 'Grade 1' at Greenwich?
http://www.orlakiely.com/uk.cfm/bags/etc/overview
All's fair in trading, we all draw inspiration from others (and in some cases use the same fabrics)
-not in Dominique's case.
Let's all be nice and remember we're here to run a business not to rubbish fellow traders.
Gulp... wipeable washbag anyone?
By the way, that's Marketeer, not Whistler. I'm flattered, but that guy's research is way beyond me - tooo brainy. I'd rather be thought of as the tart with a heart.
Oh my god! I just checked out that website above. And for the record, anyone who says they are not inspired by another and anyone who says they are totally original obviously has their head firmly placed up their own ****. That's maybe why D**khead above can't see what is really going on!
Barmy's revenge
Barmy personally gave Dominique a spot quite early on Saturday. She was placed in an aisle of eight stalls,three of which were jewellery stalls, one t-shirt stall & the 4 remaining did bags of one sort or another (including Dominique). The stall opposite her (a new trader - doing women's cloths & BAGS ) was given a spreadover ( he's so kind to the new young girls ). I bet Barmy chuckled to himself all the way back to the office.
He sure knows how to dish out a really creative mixture of stalls -- I don't think so !!
Pat at least gave Dominique a better position on Sunday.
Barmy goes on & on about creative priority, creative this & creative that, but doesn't even have a single blip of creativity in his (miss) management of the market or how he dishes out the stalls. He just doesn't see the bigger picture, even though he carries around a copy on his clipboard ( as a security blanket )to make him feel important
His creativity seems to be confined to how he repairs his battered ego & how he wreaks revenge.
F.O.D.
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