HI All,
I visited the Newark aero jumble for the 2nd time on Saturday with someone who had never been to one before and on the way back he commented on a number of observations which we both agreed upon and feel should be shared.
1) Presentation: people will buy items when they are clean and tidy, not when they are full of dust etc or look like they have just been dragged out of the back of the barn. A little time cleaning may mean the difference of making a sale or missing out on one. One or 2 of the tables looked like the seller did not care how it looked, a little time laying out the items again may mean the difference. I know many will say it’s a “ jumble “ but even the ones I attended years ago at Staverton as a kid and later at Whitwick presentation was the word.
2) Pricing: I am one of those who hates to keep on asking how much an item costs at any car boot/aero jumble/auto jumble, sometimes I get the feeling the seller looks at me to see what I can afford then decides how much the item will cost me, on Saturday I had to keep on asking as many of the items on stalls were not priced up, after a while I gave up.
3) Attitude: I am one who deals on a daily basis with public attitude so very much used to it but even then on occasions I am still surprised. I noted 2 traders who spoke to members of the public as if they knew nothing and felt they was superior, we also noted attitude from one stall holder making comments about another stall holder’s wares , yet another seller was over heard advising a buyer that another stall holder had what he was looking for, he did not get a sale but he was acting in the best interests of the buyer I felt. Please be aware that not all the public are deaf or know nothing, I made that mistake once and it nearly cost me dearly.
4) Descriptions: sometimes it helps to read what an item has come from or is fitted too, joe public may not be looking for something specific but just what catches his/her eye, seeing what a part has come from may start a unintended project off and they may ask for more parts to be supplied in the future, how long does it take to write and stick a small label on it with price eg : cockpit panel from the aircraft which flew Lord Lucan out of the UK to paradise £666.
5) Organisors: Having just read the NAM website post jumble comments, after the stall holder has paid for the stall position and their fuel( which is becoming very expensive) is it fair to ask them for another £3 to pay for advertising of the event. As some have already mentioned they did not even sell enough to cover their costs of attending so will paying out upfront even more money guarantee they will? It may increase attendance putting more money in the organisors coffers but not necessary into the pockets of the stall holders. How about NAM charging an early bird fee on the first hour on top of the admission fee instead?
6) Location: I used to enjoy attending the aerojumbles at Staverton as whilst my father looked at flying clothing etc I used to watch the aircraft flying in and out, compared to Whitwick that after paying a little bit more as a early bird after a few hours there was nothing more to view so off home it was. Having the jumble at a museum/Airfield not only gives the event the right atmosphere I feel it could also encourage people to buy something aeronautical off a stall to remember their visit as well as enjoy walking around the place as part of the admission fee. However driving 200 miles, paying admission fee then walking around a non aviation related field for a few hours then driving back another 200 miles may appeal to some but not to me, I much prefer value for money hence why I think all aero jumbles should be held at either museums/airshow.
7) Support: We still need to support these events as much as possible, I do not agree with just having 2 a year, one in the south and one in the north of the country as like in my comments in number 6, plus Evil bay is very slowly killing itself off via introducing too many ways of charging you more money to sell items, the latest one is to charge the seller 10% of postage costs !!! so by having a few little jumbles in between one large one each year will keep the door open for those like me who prefer these face to face events.
Please note the above is only personnal comments
All in all I would like to thank the staff at NAM for the warm welcome and wonderful atmosphere on Saturday and looking forward to the next one. Maybe the RAFM would consider holding one occasionally at both Hendon and Cosford sites?
Regards
Jason
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