Sheffield Market...not the most attractive (either to the eye or the nose).....but today I was in buying a few bits to make a Shepherd's Pie tonight......

Realised I needed an onion.....and approached a stall and picked an onion off the pile for sale....I went to hand it to the woman assistant who asked me if I wanted an onion.....I said yes....she picked up another onion and weighed it and said 15p....I held up the onion I had picked up and she told me I couldn't have that one as it was not self service....I had to have the onion she had picked....which was on the manky side to say the least....the one I picked up wasn't special.....just an onion in a brown skin......nothing unusual.......but I couldn't have that onion. So I tried to give her 'my' onion and she told me to put it back and have the one she had weighed.....so it is safe for me to presume that the stall is piled high with beautiful appealing fruit and veg and what you buy, what she sells you is manky and past its best.....I walked away in total disbelief and bought an onion from a different stall.:confused:

Forgive me here....I am not a Sheffielder.....is there something I am missing about buying from Sheffield Market? And they wonder why trade is slow because of the supermarkets...:loopy:

Sheffield Market...not the most attractive (either to the eye or the nose).....but today I was in buying a few bits to make a Shepherd's Pie tonight......

Realised I needed an onion.....and approached a stall and picked an onion off the pile for sale....I went to hand it to the woman assistant who asked me if I wanted an onion.....I said yes....she picked up another onion and weighed it and said 15p....I held up the onion I had picked up and she told me I couldn't have that one as it was not self service....I had to have the onion she had picked....which was on the manky side to say the least....the one I picked up wasn't special.....just an onion in a brown skin......nothing unusual.......but I couldn't have that onion. So I tried to give her 'my' onion and she told me to put it back and have the one she had weighed.....so it is safe for me to presume that the stall is piled high with beautiful appealing fruit and veg and what you buy, what she sells you is manky and past its best.....I walked away in total disbelief and bought an onion from a different stall.:confused:

Forgive me here....I am not a Sheffielder.....is there something I am missing about buying from Sheffield Market? And they wonder why trade is slow because of the supermarkets...:loopy:

Isn't this a bit like McDonalds?

If not a joke, she was certainly taking the Michael...!

Isn't this a bit like McDonalds?

Don't go in McDonalds....don't go to Sheffield Market that often but can't quite understand the connection....explain please :D

TBH I never thought in my wildest dreams I'd be starting a thread about an onion....it's just that the whole experience was surreal :D

Don't go in McDonalds....don't go to Sheffield Market that often but can't quite understand the connection....explain please :D

If you were able to but the same size burger they advertise on their posters - it wouldn't fit in the box!

Don't go in McDonalds....don't go to Sheffield Market that often but can't quite understand the connection....explain please :D

If you were able to buy the same size burger they advertise on their posters - it wouldn't fit in the box!

See what you are getting at....but I had the onion in my hand.....I was touching it.....only to be told I couldn't have it......

Maybe I should have licked it (or something else more gross) so she wouldn't have wanted it back..

See what you are getting at....but I had the onion in my hand.....I was touching it.....only to be told I couldn't have it......

Maybe I should have licked it (or something else more gross) so she wouldn't have wanted it back..

Cheaper than paying for it;)

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x118/LeipzigLeipzig/Lick.jpg

Reminds me of THIS (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kfz82y_1dvA) advert

If she'd have told me I couldn't have the onion I wanted then I'd have told her to make like a chicken shove it up her arse...... Right before I took my business away from her scratty little market store and off to a disreputable super market :D

Sheffield Market...not the most attractive (either to the eye or the nose).....but today I was in buying a few bits to make a Shepherd's Pie tonight... So I tried to give her 'my' onion and she told me to put it back and have the one she had weighed.....so it is safe for me to presume that the stall is piled high with beautiful appealing fruit and veg and what you buy, what she sells you is manky and past its best.....I walked away in total disbelief and bought an onion from a different stall.:confused:
Forgive me here....I am not a Sheffielder.....is there something I am missing about buying from Sheffield Market? And they wonder why trade is slow because of the supermarkets...:loopy:

I'm afraid it's fairly common practice in markets, not just Sheffield. I've been caught out by it several times. Some stallholders do pile the good stuff up on display, don't allow you to choose from that and give you the manky stuff that they keep out of sight. They don't do themselves any favours and for one onion you'd think she'd have kept her mouth shut!

I was gonna say, you should have told her you'd been scratching your genitals before handling the merchandise, but i'd imagine that's standard practice in t' Market

At the bottom of the last row across from the ladies that sell boiled ham etc theres a large fruit and veg stall that a man runs he sometimes sells veg you cant get from the others and i think he lets you pick your own. Did you finish up getting your onion from there.?

Aaaah good old Sheffield Market, see it hasn't chnaged much lol

That is such a funny story........

So you have to buy what she gives you,, ha ha i have known that before,,, and i think it is so funny, could you imagin it the other way round, they have to take the money thats given them, they would soon have something to say.

I was gonna say, you should have told her you'd been scratching your genitals before handling the merchandise, but i'd imagine that's standard practice in t' Market

Maybe I should have wee'd on it!!!

Maybe I should have wee'd on it!!!

I was going to reply "defecately not!!!" - but couldn't find the right opening.:hihi::hihi::hihi:

Can't believe that that crap is still going on.
It used to be standard practice 40 years ago when I lived there but I thought it would have gone away after people got used to choosing their own produce etc. on the continent and in supermarkets, for instance.
If they tried that in our market here, they'd be out of business in no time flat.
It must be tolerated or that stall would no longer be in business.
Stop patronizing it and the problem is solved.

Hence why traders such as this are losing out to the big, bad, evil supermarkets... :rolleyes:

They don't deserve to be in business.

Its a shame as the markets have a lot of good quality produce and stalls, I miss the days when I could go shopping there.

A few years ago in Ankara, a very similar thing happened to me. I used to call in a small supermarket every day and in front of the supermarket there was a small open-air fresh veg.& fruit market. One day, this man got in a tizzy 'cos I picked up something like the O/P did. So, I gave it the knock- back.

But.....nearly every day from then on, I'd buy fruit and/or veg. from elsewhere [ no shortage of shops in Turkey ! ] and walk past the 'market man' into the supermarket. I made sure he could always see what I'd bought. It was sheer joy to see the look of hatred and loss on his face as he mentally added up what he'd lost through his bad-mannered arrogance !

All Power to The Shoppers !

Julado, I hate to say this, but your first mistake was going into Castle Market. I've not been for years; I got tired of shoddy service. Some of the the things in thee are very reasonable, but it just got to be too much of a headache. :(

did you actually say "can i have this onion please?"? most people respond well to honesty...

I prefer Shepherds Pie without onion, so I guess I wouldn't have this problem.

Reminds me of the couple been married for 60 years Martha and Sydney. Sydney says to Martha what a wonderfull life together .but have you ever been unfaifull to me. marther hesitates then boldly replies yes Sydney I have been three times .three times how could that be she replies do you rememember when we were so broke that the bank was about to foreclose and I went to see the bank manager and the next day the bank extended our loan well that was one time .that is really hard to take says Sydney but times were bad so I can forgive you. and the second time there was the heart problam and we couldnt aford the operatoin .right after I went to see the doctor he performed the operatoin at no cost that was the second time. I do understand you did it out of love fore me says Sydney so what was the third time Martha lowers her head and says remember when you ran for president of your golf club and you needed 62 more votes

did you actually say "can i have this onion please?"? most people respond well to honesty...

Yes I did, and the woman barked at me that it was not self service and to put the onion back!

Julado, I hate to say this, but your first mistake was going into Castle Market. I've not been for years; I got tired of shoddy service. Some of the the things in thee are very reasonable, but it just got to be too much of a headache. :(

I realise that now.....and what is that awful stink that hits you as you enter the "food hall".....you don't get that in the supermarkets!!! :)

you can guess what my answer would be Julado.

Shop local, some lovely greengrocers in Hillsborough alongside our lovely butcher Pearsons and Manns the fishmonger.

SHOP LOCAL! :)

Ive never been a fan of Sheffield Market. In fact I dont shop there at all. Much better markets in Newark, Barnsley, Doncaster, Chesterfield and Beverley. Of course you have to have a car which lots of people havent, but as Foxy says, Hillsborough has some excellent Green Grocers shops.

Where else can you get your fish, meat and veg coated liberally in spittle, mucus, dandruff and zit juice other than the good old Sheffield markets? :thumbsup:

God, I'll miss them when they're gone. :gag:

Yes I did, and the woman barked at me that it was not self service and to put the onion back!

Well, I'd have done as she asked and put the onion back. I'm not one for arguments.


Of course, I'm a very clumsy person, and it's quite likely that while putting it back, I'd have accidentally knocked half her produce onto the floor... oops, I am sorry, what a pity.

I've had this problem with some stalls in the market & I just avoid them again when it happens, the worse thing about Castle market is having to run the gaunlet to get in there, ie; the lowlife & intimidating characters that congregate outside, I tend not to use the market now because of it.
I wonder if it will be any different when it's shifted to the Moor.

Same thing happened to us,(probably same stall) only with tomatoes .We were told they would serve us this time but it was not self service.
Made my wife feel that she was in school playground getting into trouble.
I said dont worry to the woman there wont be a next time.It was ridiculous.
There was no need to be rude.

you can guess what my answer would be Julado.

Shop local, some lovely greengrocers in Hillsborough alongside our lovely butcher Pearsons and Manns the fishmonger.

SHOP LOCAL! :)

As a rule I do and you can often see me in Hillsborough - I am the one trudging back to the tram stop laden down like a pack horse!!!

Its just that my son is up from Margate and we were up that end of town and I needed a few things.....and the irony of this is that I ended up in Hillsborough afterwards....he wanted to go to Home Bargains!!! :D

Where else can you get your fish, meat and veg coated liberally in spittle, mucus, dandruff and zit juice other than the good old Sheffield markets? :thumbsup:

God, I'll miss them when they're gone. :gag:

You mean I missed the zit juice.....drat!

Its been going on for years in there. They put the good looking stuff at the front, and you end up getting it from the older box in the back. Its not the way to run a business. You are better off the a local greengrocer where you can see the produce you are getting.

If anyone has seen Drop Dead Fred.....the "affection" he gives to the little girl is really what I wanted to do to that onion.....

There is at least one self service greengrocer's stall in the market, it's probably dearer than the other traders palming people off with half rotten stuff, but it's where I'd go nonetheless.

Gone are the days whereby the standard of veg and fruits are high. I still like shopping in a market whenever I can get to one.

If the trade is bad, then obviously you still buy it and still eat it cos that is what the industry is like, but if there is a choice, then of course I would want the best out of the lot.

I'm a good buyer too, I don't try and dump back the item in the basket and bruise it so the next customers don't get a good item.

I miss the days whereby you see the farmer or the owner be proud of their crop, and you just pick whichever one you like, cos they have so much confidence in what they are selling.

Same thing happened to me about 20 years ago - and funnily it has stuck in my mind all that time and I never go to the markets (it happened on the Moor - the woman then was VERY rude about it). So obvious why they do it. They can keep their manky onions and toms!

I finished work last week earlier than usual and got off the bus at the bottom of the Moor.
Seeing the fruit stall I asked for a banana cos it was lunchtime. Guess what? Couldn't have one only the bunch of about 7 which would have totally gone to waste.
"why" says I.
"Cos we only sell bunches"says she.
The Moor was EMPTY (it was a wednesday)
I said "I hope you take all this back home with you"
Here's the crunch....I was barred from an empty stall for trying to give them some money.
So little custom down there at the moment you would have thought they'd want to shift whatever they could.

I finished work last week earlier than usual and got off the bus at the bottom of the Moor.
Seeing the fruit stall I asked for a banana cos it was lunchtime. Guess what? Couldn't have one only the bunch of about 7 which would have totally gone to waste.
"why" says I.
"Cos we only sell bunches"says she.
The Moor was EMPTY (it was a wednesday)
I said "I hope you take all this back home with you"
Here's the crunch....I was barred from an empty stall for trying to give them some money.
So little custom down there at the moment you would have thought they'd want to shift whatever they could.

you should have asked "Well, could you sell me a bunch of one, then, please?" :lol:

:hihi:
Why can't they cater for individual people? If they sold the one, they can charge a higher price!

I used to visit this fruit and veg shop near my school as a child. Thinking back now, the lady was quite smart, and quite kind. She used to chat to the kids as they wait at the bus stop and sometimes we buy the odd fruit from her and take home to eat. What is 10p or 20p of pocket money ?

I finished work last week earlier than usual and got off the bus at the bottom of the Moor.
Seeing the fruit stall I asked for a banana cos it was lunchtime. Guess what? Couldn't have one only the bunch of about 7 which would have totally gone to waste.
"why" says I.
"Cos we only sell bunches"says she.
The Moor was EMPTY (it was a wednesday)
I said "I hope you take all this back home with you"
Here's the crunch....I was barred from an empty stall for trying to give them some money.
So little custom down there at the moment you would have thought they'd want to shift whatever they could.

Some "business" people deserve to go bust, to make way for human beings and not little Hitlers whose motto seems to be "I am right and the customer is always wrong".

Forgive me here....I am not a Sheffielder.....is there something I am missing about buying from Sheffield Market? And they wonder why trade is slow because of the supermarkets...:loopy:

I'm not being funny here, but are you not white?

I chatted to an Indian lass a couple of years back who was studying over here and went to buy fruit and veg down the markets and when asking for something was told, "they're not for the likes of you, these are", and the women on the stall got some manky old veg out.

I kid you not.

Yes I did, and the woman barked at me that it was not self service and to put the onion back!

I use a few of the stalls in there and after realising the risk of getting crap, I always pick my own selection.
No-one has ever stopped me.

Can you tell me which stall insulted you in this way, so that I can try the same and see what happens?

I'm not being funny here, but are you not white?

I chatted to an Indian lass a couple of years back who was studying over here and went to buy fruit and veg down the markets and when asking for something was told, "they're not for the likes of you, these are", and the women on the stall got some manky old veg out.

I kid you not.

There is one stall in the market that treats me in exactly the opposite way.
If they see me taking something off display, they may often say ".. leave that. I've got some better ones down here..."!

cgksheff....can't quite remember which stall - there are so many fruit and veg stalls......but it was at the opposite end to the self service veg stall, it was one of those end stalls where the stall is across the end and up one of the aisles!

I'll not go back there....as Foxy says there are good fruit and veg shops in Hillsborough. The market thing was a one off.

Boyface.....yes I am white....but that should have nothing to do with shopping and there should be no discrimination between service and produce for different colours of skin.....you highlight an appalling situation. What you describe is clearly racism....:huh:

This thing with selling you rubbish produce is an old trick - just be thankful they can't do it with meat any more as village shops were always notorious for that. There are a couple of rip-off stalls up The Moor that do this - they gave my mum a load of nasty toms off the back, but if you refuse to buy unless they sell you what you want then walk away. It's their loss not yours.

Or use Sharps round the back of Moorfoot Tavern - now he bags up and separates all his older fruit and veg and will sell it to you cheap at the till - you won't be foisted off with owt dodgy there, one of Sheffield's best shops.

You'd think they'd realise by now that they must be losing custom left right and centre.

Same thing happened to me, must be over 30 years ago now and I've NEVER been back to that stall since, if they were the last stall in the market i'd do without.

Boyface.....yes I am white....but that should have nothing to do with shopping and there should be no discrimination between service and produce for different colours of skin.....you highlight an appalling situation. What you describe is clearly racism....:huh:

still happens quite often in this day and age...

I used to shop in the market every week, until I saw several butchers/stallholders walking out of the toilets without washing their hands:gag:

Castle Market is for the Chav underclass, leave it to them and shop where your custom is appreciated.

After this kind of service, they wonder why supermarkets are taking all their business. Serves em right, vote with your feet.

At one time I would have defended the market. There was an art to shopping there though, that my mum, nan, and aunty definitely had. They'd say 'don't shop there, they serve you rubbish from the back', - 'this one's too dear', 'their meat's the best', etc but recently even they have found that their trusted old stalls with years of good reputation seem to be scraping the bottom of the barrel and selling old rubbish. It's a real shame, our markets did use to be fantastic and one of the things I loved and was proud about Sheffield for.

Guess what I found out today?
M&S sells single organic bananas for 30p ! >.<
What?

If only these fruit and veg stores sell single items like this, then I'm sure they will be in business still. Even in London, you get to see odd bits and bobs of fruit racks here and there on the oddest of stalls, just because the owners know their market. Even working professionals may just want to buy a single piece of fruit.

M&S sells single organic bananas for 30p !
What?

Meaning cheap or expensive?:confused:

This story reminds me of an old chap I used to know who had a small orchard in his garden. He would invite you to pick some apples and then take them in the house to weigh and bag them for you. When you opened the bag instead of the apples you picked there would be a mixture of scabby old windfalls.

Meaning cheap or expensive?:confused:

30p is a rip-off! Sharps do single fruit and you'll pay between 8p and 11p for a 'nana! ;)

there is a sainsbury on the moor opposite the market you should have gone there instead :hihi:

I was in London on Monday....the Sainsburys at Victoria where I bought a nana for 15p......even in London its not overpriced.

Should I rename this thread the fruit and veg thread .... I am enjoying this thread immensely....even though the onion .....remember the onion....that I bought from a different stall didn't get used as I already had some....see a senior moment there!!!! :D

Hi Julado

I see you have a new avatar. I'm a little disappointed - after this thread, something with a ONION theme would have been better - IMO :hihi::hihi:

Hi Julado

I see you have a new avatar. I'm a little disappointed - after this thread, something with a ONION theme would have been better - IMO :hihi::hihi:

Ask and it shall be granted unto you. :D This is the onion I bought instead of the manky one....fine specimen don't you think....:lol:

I agree, it's absolutely faaaabulous, dahling! :hihi: :lol:

a fine specimen of onionhood! lol in fact, I think I'm hard pressed to remember when I saw a finer specimen.

it is the epitome of onion-ness... it captures the essence of onion-ness.. Ok, ok, I'll belt up now! :hihi: lol

im from sheffield an i hate the market it feeks me out i only go in if i really have to or to go to loo as it the only place i know were you dont have to buy any thing jus to use the loo

Ask and it shall be granted unto you. :D This is the onion I bought instead of the manky one....fine specimen don't you think....:lol:

What an avatar!!!..... brings tears to my eyes

im from sheffield an i hate the market it feeks me out i only go in if i really have to or to go to loo as it the only place i know were you dont have to buy any thing jus to use the loo

If you are "in need" anywhere near T.J. Hughes, the loos are on the second floor.

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2501948.html

Can't imagine for one minute that this would happen at Sheffield Market.....do you....? :D

Well, I reckon the Romanians must know their onions;)

After several days on this thread I am saddened that no market stall holder has felt the need to stand up for the Sheffield Market.
Either they are not bothered that their reputation is reaching rock bottom, or they don't read the Forum.
Some years ago on Christmas Eve I bought some fish which I had chosen myself from the display. Needless to say, when I got it home it wasn't the same piece I had picked and was in such a condition I had to throw it out.
That was my last visit to the Market.
They do themselves no favours when they are so untrustworthy.

This thing with selling you rubbish produce is an old trick - just be thankful they can't do it with meat any more as village shops were always notorious for that. There are a couple of rip-off stalls up The Moor that do this - they gave my mum a load of nasty toms off the back, but if you refuse to buy unless they sell you what you want then walk away. It's their loss not yours.

Or use Sharps round the back of Moorfoot Tavern - now he bags up and separates all his older fruit and veg and will sell it to you cheap at the till - you won't be foisted off with owt dodgy there, one of Sheffield's best shops.

Yes, I quite agree! I used to go in there many times on my way home from work (in a supermarket!!) - they had such good quality stuff, excellent service, and were always very pleasant and helpful.

I'm sad to see that the market has reached this level. :(

Duck eggs. Pork pies. Cockles. Oven bottoms. :)

I guess traders like this will be the first to blame the 'Tescorporation' when it all has to close, but if they can't make the effort then I guess it will all go.

There is one stall in the market that treats me in exactly the opposite way.
If they see me taking something off display, they may often say ".. leave that. I've got some better ones down here..."!

To be fair cgksheff, you were buying plums at the time! :D

Markets all over do the old 'one from the back' trick. My mum warned me about all that. Normally it's because they cant reach the front that they take stuff from their side. When I've been i've usually got reasonable stuff, but i always watch what they're doing just cos I'm fussy. One time i wanted the tomatoes on the front as the ones she put in the bag were different, I just said, 'oh, actually, I'd prefer these please at the front if it's ok' then she came round and got them from there. I think they get prickly about the self service because they get a bit confused about health and safety, and dont want people mauling stuff.

The funniest one last year was the lady on the bread stall- up the steps half way down the fruit and veg bit. I had two run-ins. The first time she wouldnt let me put my bread in my own carrier bag- she said I HAD to have her bag for 'health and safety', even once i just grabbed it and put it in before she got her bag off the hanger, she stood arguing with me to give it her back to put in this other bloody bag!!

Months later, she was really rude to me while buying my bread, basically she said they were cashing up so couldnt change my fiver. So i coppered up for her. But i was 2 pence short. So she gave me all this copper back, and took my fiver, then there was lots of mumblibng and twittering over getting my change because they had 'cashed up' (just for the record 45 mins later i passed by and they were still serving so cant have cashed up at all) eventually she slaps my change down and says 'all that for one 49p loaf' so i just said, if it's too much trouble you should have said, I'll get my bread somewhere else in future. and i have.

wow what an ace thread.