• Do people in your country enjoy going to open-air markets that sell things like food or clothes or old objects? Which type of market is more popular? Why?
Thank you for allowing me to answer this important question. The number of open-air markets in Australia is limited and in fact, there are no such notable markets at all where people could go for a large-scale shopping. Most of the people prefer visiting the shopping malls and even they get their everyday stuff from the shopping malls. Shopping malls are more popular than the open-air markets (though few in number) as the shopping malls are located at convenient places with modern amenities. Besides, the shopping malls also provide with the quality products. But sometimes, the people who go out for evening walk prefer to have some light snacks or foods from the roadside vendors at the open-air markets. The foods sold there are healthy and tasty too.
• Do you think markets are more suitable places for selling certain types of things? Which ones? Why do you think this is?
Yup! I think the markets are suitable for trading certain types of things and I think electronic gadgets and equipment are most suited for this purpose. For instance, if you need to buy a computer or a cellular phone, you need to go to a market where you will have several options and price range. Besides, purchasing the electronic gadgets from the market is also beneficial to some extent that you are having the intact product or some quality product. The stuff you are buying must have some sort of guarantees. But if you purchase the things from an individual, you are expected not to get the quality product in exchange for your payment. The individual may sell a defective product and importantly there are no guarantees or warranties in this case. So, I think it is better to get such things from markets.
• Do you think young people feel the same about shopping at markets as older people? Why is that?
Well, I disagree with the statement to many extents. Usually, the older people and the younger have some differences regarding the selection of necessary items. The older people are matured and skilled in shopping. So, they feel something different. They feel that they should have something durable and the product must be of a standard quality. On the other point, the young people are immature and they do not think deeply about the items they are going to have or buy. When they buy the required items, they, in fact, do not think about the quality or durability of the product. Instead, they think how important the product is and seek if there is any alternative to the product as if that particular product gets damaged in some way, they could replace that. But when they grow older, their thoughts get changed to the great level and feel heartbreaking with their past experiences. This is natural and happens for the age difference with the matured people.
• What do you think are the advantages of buying things from shops rather than markets?
Ummm! This is a critical question. However, I think certainly there are some advantages of shops than the markets. Usually, you will have the chance to bargain with the shopkeeper about the price and may negotiate over any specific price. But in markets, there are no such chances of bargaining. The prices of almost all the products are fixed. Besides, you have the chance to pick the products by yourself and by this way one can get the comparatively good products. But in markets, there are some sales assistants who will help you in the selection and sometimes may serve you with defective products without informing you about the disadvantages. One more important thing, if the shopkeeper is in your locality, you may get occasional help from him/ her. For instance, the shopkeeper may lend you any product and you will pay back later. But you cannot imagine such a flexible system in a market.
• How does advertising influence what people choose to buy? Is this true for everyone?
The advertisement has many things to do to influence people but in the current days, the scenario has been changed. The people are not that much influenced by the advertisement. Rather they rely on their own experience. But the importance of advertisement should be acknowledged. Once it was the advertisement which helped to direct the people to have their necessary products and with the change of time people are not picking their own products by their past experiences. On the other side, it should also be acknowledged that the advertised products are not always better and may prove ineffective as well. So, the idea of relying on advertisement has been changed a lot. When people buy a product by being influenced by the advertisement and get cheated, they never buy the product and discourage others as well from keeping away from that specific product.
• Do you think that any recent changes in the way people live have affected general shopping trends?
Yes, there have been slight changes in the shopping trends. The world is moving faster and hence emerged the issue of e-commerce. It refers to commercial activities in electronic manners. Millions of virtual shops have appeared and many of the people are visiting the virtual stores for their needs. They are browsing the online stores (websites decorated with product images) and placing orders, paying through online payment system and the products are being delivered to their home, shortly. But this happens for some specific products and still, people like to visit the market and shops to get their desired products.
