Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Dear Christmas Market Vendors


Dear Christmas Market Vendors,

Do you know how much we look forward to visiting you year after year?

Do you know how enthusiastic we are to discover the wonderful decor items you offer?

Do you know how delighted we are to find exciting gift articles booth after booth?

Do you know how we crave those Christmas goodies?

Do you know we go to Christmas Markets to have fun?

What is why we cannot understand why some vendors just turned killjoys this year. They are trying to kick the cheer out of our Christmas Market visits. I would have not written about it if it was just one incident, but there were more than one. And those incidents happened in different Christmas Markets, too!
Indeed, it is a big disappointment when we hear your vendors say 'don't touch'. I can understand the 'do not touch' notices for those fragile items made in glass or porcelain; but to tell my girls not to touch those chunky handmade jewelries???

After all, they were the only ones in your booth that time, you could always see and closely monitor what they do. After all, they were not wild kids who tosses things around, you saw how gently they handled your products. You saw how they waited for my nod before they tried to touch your products.

Don't you realize that they are also potential customers? They wanted to buy something for me and their cousins. And you blew their shopping expedition by preventing them to even check out the items on your booths!
As for those Christmas Market vendors selling food items, we thank you for the chance to taste your products. And though sometimes we come back to taste not only twice but thrice; that does not mean you could rudely tell us that 'those are only to taste and not to binge'.

You see, we stayed in your booth a little longer because we cannot decide what to buy; which tempted the girls to taste more. We were not trying to binge on all your free taste items in one visit. We were discussing how many packages we wanted as presents to some close friends and relatives. Alas, your potential customers, us, had to leave your booth with empty hands because you were rude to us!

Oh please, Christmas Market vendors, dont' you know that most of us plan the Christmas Markets visits? That we are ready to open our wallets for a taste, for a drink, for presents, for rides? That we are there to have fun and experience the Christmas spirit?
So please Christmas Market Vendors, even if you don't know how many valid reasons one customer needs to touch or taste your products; they hover around your booths because they are interested. To buy or not to buy, the decision usually depends on how you treat them.

And there are different ways to talk to customers. How about trying this: 'please be careful.' But rudeness is absolutely a no-no.

We are definitely going to visit more Christmas Markets this December, just because we are optimistic that the Christmas spirit has finally touched ALL the booth vendors. Peace to all!

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