‘Be honest with your customers’
FOR MANY Jamaicans, selling at the Constant Spring Market in St Andrew presents little or no opportunity to attain a satisfactory standard of living. For Andrea Reid, however, she takes her job seriously, indicating that she has seen some success having been at the market since 2012.
The Golden Spring resident, in an interview with The Gleaner, said she tries to adopt basic business principles as she believes an individual should take pride in any task assigned to them, stressing that it is always important that people put their best foot forward.
“You have to be clean, customers love when your surroundings clean. As much as mi sell ground provision, mi nuh believe seh you must wear you clothes and it full of stain. So I take special care in ensuring dat mi look good. I clean my nails regularly and mi mek sure dat the general area is welcoming,” she declared.
“You have to be honest as well. For example, if you selling a piece a melon, nuh bada tell di customers seh it sweet like sugar and you know that it’s not in good condition. As a vendor, you must have an idea of the condition your goods are in, so once you are aware, let the customers know the truth and give them the chance to decide if dem want it still,” she explained. $150 PER DAY
Despite her successes, however, Reid has not forgotten the days when all she managed to go home with was $150.
“I started out with $150 a day and plenty times I felt like giving up. However, my partner decide to stick by me and encouraged me to keep pressing on and with determination, I am in a much better position and can actually give back,” she said.
“People love me and I love my customers, mi value dem trust and I just try to make them happy. If I realise that somebody else (vendor) has a better product I will send my customer to that vendor because, at the end of the day, once they are satisfied, you can’t lose,” she said.