Trash and treasure (Markets in general)

Member Name: jennikitten

Product:	Markets in general
Date:	22/02/09 (152 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A fun and cheap day out with bargains and treasures to be found

Disadvantages: Can be dirty or overpriced

Yesterday I decided to go for a walk as the weather was so nice, and was pleasantly surprised to find not only countryside I never knew existed, but a massive area with a sign up saying it was a market and car boot sale.

Unfortunately it closes at 3 and it was past that, but I went back today and was pretty excited!! The indoor market is pretty big and sells a range of things from meat to fresh veg to chocolate to toys to household goods to craft stuff to furniture to clothes. I KNEW there must be somewhere near where I lived that had vaguely reasonable prices, and this is it. I stocked up on non plasticified fruit and veg for a grand total of £2.47, and generally had fun wandering around and perusing the junk and treasure.

Some things were just as expensive as the shops if not more so, so you do have to be careful, but the food is generally a lot cheaper and if it's genuine farm stuff, so much the better.

I've found inner city markets to be quite rubbish and full of knock offs and similar stalls all over the place, and for that reason I much prefer countryside type markets which tend to be cleaner and more spacious. We used to go to a massive market in North Wales which was great for a day out and exploring even if you don't buy anything. I always think markets are more interesting than regular shops as you just never know what will be there.

I've been to markets abroad as well, and these vary a lot but are all the more exciting. Markets in places like Tunisia have pushy owners who will usually try to force something on you. We went to a market in the centre of Prague which is one of the best I've ever been to - full of handmade wooden toys and beautiful bits and pieces. We also went to 2 markets which both claimed to be Europe's biggest (!!) in Poland and Vienna. They are interesting places to wander round and find less touristy stuff. However, the fruit and veg did attract a lot of insects so we stayed away from it. They did have some interesting things I've never seen here though like orange raspberries and some weird pepper-like things that looked like anorexic bananas...

In many UK cities there are seasonal markets at Christmas which are French/German in origin and there are a lot of delicacies to be tried from sausages to crepes. They also have some small Christmassy type gifts.

The only real costs of markets are sometimes you have to pay for parking, however the one I visited today charged just £1, which isn't bad if you have 4+ people in your car.

Overall, I am a big fan of markets and plan to visit my 'new' one on a regular basis!

Summary: A definite credit crunch day out - skip the high street stores