SLC31-W3: Shop & Share Challenge - Street Market Purchase

Greetings friend and welcome to my shop and share challenge. Join me on my shopping episode this week. For the week’s challenge, I have explored a nearby open market known as Bariga market.

Tell us why you chose that street or open market

Bariga market is the local market of Bariga under shomolu local government area in Lagos state Nigeria. It is the only market in Bariga and serves as its Main Stream market where regular buying and selling occurs.

It’s a local market where some varieties of items can be found but mostly food items and clothings, shoes, chargers and other personal items but it’s not a major market.

	One of the entrances

The reason I chose to shop in this market is because of its close proximity to where I stay. It’s just hundred Naira bus to get to the market and it’s also a walkable distance of about ten minutes walk. Sometimes I walk down to the market and other times I enter bus depending on urgency and strength available to me but most times, I walk down.

**Road side views **

I always buy my food items there and other little things I need like toiletries, slippers and any other things needful and I also shop there sometimes for second hand clothes as they are very affordable.

There are different ways to reach the market and for today’s exploration, I was coming down to the market from Ilaje axis and you can see people selling along the road. The market actually extended into the street so I can say it’s both a street market and the local market.

Along the express while walking to the main hub of the market where there are clusters of people, you will see people selling along the road. I have gotten some pictures of people selling vegetables, fruits , slippers and all sort of things.

More road side view

These sellers do not have a shop where they keep their goods hence they sell under umbrellas along the road. When the sun gets too high, they put up their umbrella and when it rains, they use tarpaulins to cover their goods.

Walking further will bring you to the main market entrance where people sell meats, vegetables and different forms of food items. This is actually the busier part of the market and you will see people trouping in and out.

A peek inside the market

This part of the market is usually very business early mornings and late evenings. During the afternoon, it’s not as busy compared to morning or evening. The pictures do Justice to show what the market looks like.

These are the cordinates of the market

Items	Details
Market Address	Bariga Market, Ilaje Road, Bariga, Somolu, Lagos State, Nigeria
Steem Atlas Pin	[//]:# (!steematlas 6.5353 lat 3.3792 long Bariga Market, Ilaje Road, Bariga, Somolu, Lagos State, Nigeria)
Google Map Pin	map
Google Plus Code	GQPF+4M Bariga, Lagos, Nigeria

The price of the item you purchased from the street or the open market

The shop I bought vegetables from

For my shop and share experience, I had gone to this market to buy vegetables which I want to use to garnish my stew. I have this particular vendor I always buy vegetables from and that’s because their vegetables is fresh and they also render extra services like helping you cut the vegetables.

The vegetables they sell

So the vegetables I bought was sold to me for three hundred Naira. They usually sell two for five hundred and one for three hundred. I didn’t want much quantity hence I had to go for one. I gave them four hundred Naira and they gave me balance of hundred Naira.

	Girl cutting my vegetables

	proof of payment

	my pumpkin leaves

It’s a local market and they don’t give receipts so the money and the vegetables I bought is the proof of my shopping.

Describe your shopping experience, including pricing, bargaining, and product quality

My shopping experience was good. I love to buy vegetables from them because they always have fresh vegetables and they always help to cut the vegetables. This saves me the stress of having to do it myself.

There was much pricing to do as the veggies are already discounted. They have varieties of vegetables options to choose from. They sell pumpkin leaves, Water leaves, Ewedu leaves, okro and scent leaves.

	Good customer service

I also love their customer service and they are not rude unlike some market women. They cut the leaves however you deem fit and they never complain. They make you want to come buy from them again and again. They are my go to for fresh vegetables and I’ve also referred my friends to them.

In some places street or open markets usually cause traffic describe how busy the street or open market is

Traffic on the market road

Talk of the open markets that cause traffic and this one is chief. Every morning and evening and some afternoons, you would always see traffic at its front because there’s a u-turn In front of the market. There are many cars and tricycles plying that road.

Cars negotiating the u-turn and those trying to pass by are always held up as they struggle to get through. The local government had to install a police traffic post at the u-turn to control the traffic jam. This has helped to reduce the traffic unlike before .

	traffic officers stand

The officers do not allow tricycles and buses to park along the road when looking for passengers as most of them do hence causing traffic congestion. The officers directs them to move further up the road to a spot they use for loading. The congestions always starts whenever the traffic wardens are not around.

It’s a very busy market. It opens very early and closes late at night. Most times by 12am, there are still people trying to pack up and go home. It’s like the market never sleeps.

What is your advice to the street or open market sellers to improve business performance?

Some advices I would give to street or open market sellers is

• to package their products well and make their stall impossible to ignore. They should ensure their environment is clean and their goods are well organized. These can easily attract customers to them.

• Treat customers well and as long term relationships and not a one time thing. People love to buy from those who treat them well and can easily refer others through word of mouth. A friendly seller will always outsell a rude one.

• They should be trustworthy and sell good products to people and not deceive them. People notice honest and fair pricing in buying and selling. One woman sold rotten leaves to me because I didn’t check. I didn’t go back there to ever buy from her again.

• They should be consistent with their timing and during market peak seasons and be available always. I’ve gone to some peoples shops to meet it empty and had to go to others. People loose customers simply because they opened late or closed too early.

• They should learn to save money. Separate their profits from their capitals and reinvest it into their business to grow better or source for soft funds to help them expand their businesses.

• They can embrace digital tools. The world has gone digital and they can use it to their advantage like posting on Whatsap status and being online to follow up with their customers.

Thank you for coming down this lane with me. See you.

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