To Market We Go, Jiggedy Jig

At last the promised post about the rampant consumerism of the weekend ...

Weekend is market time in various Auckland suburbs. We were told of two in particular because of their size. They really know how to interest American's. bigger is always better isn't it. The markets generally run 7:00 am to 12:00 pm. We were warned to arrive early to insure that all the "parks" (parking spaces) would not be taken.

The first market was at a large parking lot in Otara. Otara is a working-class area -- complete with thuggy-looking youngsters listening to hip-hop/rap music. It is also predominately minority -- a mixture of Asian and Islanders. There appears to be two aspects to the markets -- a fruit and vegetable sections and the "everything else" section.

The cultural divisions in the market are fascinating. The fruit and vegetable stands are run almost exclusively by Asians. There are several booths in the "everything else" section selling cheap knock-off tools, appliances, and household goods, which are run by Middle-Eastern refugees. It reminded me of "The Kite Runner" (a very good book), as each booth was manned by an older man and a young boy. The older man spoke no English, relying instead on the young boy for translation.

We purchased two heaters, a dehumidifier, and a vacuum at a ridiculous discount. Mindy found some jewelry and I bought a wool cap that was knitted by an old woman as I watched.

I am somewhat concerned about the quality of the products we purchased. Having bought the heaters for $70.00, I paid the proprietor with four $20-dollar notes. He sent the aforementioned "young boy" somewhere for change. Rather than wait for the boy to return with the change, I told the "older man" that we would take the heaters to the car and return for the change. He did not understand. I tried again, "We will come back for the change." Having misunderstood, the older man stated emphatically, "Yes, of course. You bring back, exchange. We here every Saturday. I make right." So not only did we purchase two heaters at a steal, but also received an extended warranty for free.

While we were purchasing our vacuum, someone else arrived with an obviously-used vacuum. The "older man" and the "younger boy" instantly recognized this customer. The "older man" motioned for the boy to intercept him and take him to the side. Minutes later the customer left with a new vacuum. While we were still negotiating over our vacuum, a rough-looking Maori woman inquired about a product. In broken English, the "older man" responded with the price and added that "It very good quality ... very good." She retorted, "That's what you said about the stereo and we have brought it back five times." Indignantly, she turned and left.

Although I am not confident in the quality of the products, I am satisfied with the customer service. New Zealand consumer-protection laws are ridiculously strict and pro-consumer. It seems that almost anything can be returned at almost anytime for failure to live up to the customer's expectations. I am sure this is an overstatement, but not by much.

Sunday's market was in Avondale -- in West Auckland and closer to home. It is held at a horsetrack. We did not find as many large items as the previous day, but it was fun nevertheless. Because we expected to be in the house on Monday, we opted to buy our fruits and vegetables at the Sunday market. We bought a plastic grocery sack absolutely full (4-5 kg) of organic kiwis for $3.00 NZD ($1.80 USD). Other fruits and vegetables were equally cheap and fresh.

After the market, we went to a bankruptcy sale. According to the commercial (doubtful as to its truthfulness), an Australian importer of lingerie, rugs, and bedding became insolvent and was taken over by the New Zealand government. It has rows and rows of bras, panties, thongs, and other delicates, which we could not bring ourselves to touch -- though hundreds of local women were having an unmentionables feeding frenzy.

The rugs, however, were very beautiful. The ones that we wanted were several hundred to thousands of dollars -- gorgeous and luxurious, but out of our price range. We did purchase two of the daily special: a natural colored wool rug and a red synthetic rug, both about 8X10.

After having a Queen-sized pine slat bed with mattress for desert, we waddled home, content from our weekend of gluttonous consumerism and fat with purchases (though thin on cash).