TÜSPAF President Mehmet Çakman told the Anatolia news agency on Tuesday in Bursa that the union is working on a new project to enable vendors at bazaars to use point-of-sale (POS) machines. The union head said they have begun meeting with banks to see how the project could be implemented.
Çakman said allowing credit card use will better position street market vendors to compete against large shopping centers, which attract relatively more customers due to the widespread use of credit cards. Noting that the project aims to attract more customers to street markets, Çakman said many Turkish customers choose not to shop at street markets because they do not want to buy goods in cash.
Underlining that people in Turkey are well accustomed to shopping at street markets but that interest is below the desired level, Çakman said they expect to develop this “cultural habit” with a number of new modernization projects. “We need to improve the physical conditions of street markets and establish a well-organized infrastructure. This, however, is not enough… We must also train professional vendors,” he said.
The TÜSPAF head noted that they plan to commence a training program shortly to this end. “Trainees who successfully finish the program will receive certificates.” In the long run, he said, they expect to include every single vendor in this program.
Mentioning an anticipated wholesale market law regulating produce trade in wholesale markets, he said the law will benefit both producers and vendors. With the new law, vendors will be encouraged to purchase goods directly from producers. Observers argue that such an application could both rejuvenate the market and allow customers to purchase goods at relatively cheaper prices.
