19/10/15

Car boot sales is a market which individual traders come together to sell their stuff. This event is very popular in the United Kingdom and some parts of Australia. There are two types of car boot which are ‘outdoor car boot’ and ‘indoor car boot’. Outdoor car boot is open during the summer time and indoor car boot usually open throughout the year. Usually, a notification will be informed if it is not open due to bad weather condition. This event takes place in the weekend from early in the morning at around 6.00 am until noon around 1.00 pm. Booters need to pay some amount of price to join the stall and buyers are charged a small fee to enter the place. There is a variety of stuff to be found including household, electrical appliances, garden goods, toys, books, furniture, bicycles, and so on. Car boot sales illustrate a colourful social interaction of a day bargain hunting for buyers and income for traders, as an idiom “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”.

There are many difference background of buyers in the car boot sales. This includes local people, international residences, immigrants, tourists, and so on. Buyers choose to go to car boot sales for many reasons. The most common reasons is having stuff or even good or branded items with cheaper prices. Some looking for authentic local products that rarely found elsewhere. Some collecting specific items for example miniature of cottages, crystals products, dining sets, souvenirs, books, and so on. Within this transaction, buyers gain satisfaction by bargaining at the lower price. For traders, car boot is a great place to get rid of the unwanted items. This could be because changing trends, children growing up, seasonal stuff and so on. Some traders selling things for charities organizations. Doing this, traders earn some money to buy latest items, reduce space of the house, contribute to the organizations, and so on.

The most precious thing is this event build a harmony relationship between buyers and traders. The traders have a sense belonging of the items and eager to know who are interested with the stuff. They not only tell on how to use the stuff but also share stories of the stuff. This scenario not to be found in the supermarket or elsewhere. I have an experience buying a polly pocket toys from a six years old girl. Her mother asked her to entertain me. The girl so happy showing how to operate the polly pocket dolls, telling that she got it when she was two years old from a Christmas present and it is no longer suitable for her. I made some bargaining with her (just some negotiation with a cute little trader). It was a wonderful chat and the girl was happy her stuff is taken. Furthermore, beyond the social interaction this event bring to the intercultural relation. Space for understanding between different cultures. The stuff shows how the local household looks like and expose the buyers to the similarity and differences between cultures. It then cultivates a mutual respect.