Pushcart Retail = Entrepreneurship?

[juinjuin]

I have come across this line of questioning several times in other forums.

I thought it would relevant to raise this topic here given that many members are pushcart vendors or do fleas.

What do you think? It seems that certain people "look down" on small scale retailing because they don't have a high tech angle like technology start-ups.

No flames please

Cheers

[nightstar]

Yeah. I read somewhere also. I personally feel pushcart retail is only a beginning of entrepreneurship and not entirely equal to it. Some people may kind of "look down" on pushcart businesses because it is small scale business. Buy and sell only...not much technology kind of thing involved, very much like roadside lelong lelong. Moreover,most are selling very low value items. Low value items are usually perceived by most people to be of low quality.

[vickiparis]

This may be so... but some bigger fish are now entering the pie. Example: Amara Hotel F&B is operating a push cart (it almost seem permanent) at the Amara shopping centre selling cakes and some local food. The second-hand books sellers (I always see people browsing & buying from them; although those are not push cart. And these are book store retailers). Some car retailers, furniture retailers...

The way I look at it is - the bigger fish are entering into this smaller business. Why? Obviously some have made a reasonable profit out of it. if you have a good product or good concept of a product; if you display your stuff to make it look really value for money... you can get a following.

There are too many cheap accessories in the market (1 for $2 / 3 for $5) with similar designs (may have got it from the same wholesalers). If too many pushcart operators sells the same things, and sell it like 'lelong', or side-by-side in the same event - it couldn't generate enough public interest to walk to your pushcart to browse and buy. Sometime too much is too much. I would be interested to hear comments from operators who had shared push carts (a variety of products) - is there a noticeably increased in sales? If there is, I think, more of us small operators should consider sharing!

[otterised]

I've heard that the hey-days of pushcart biz is over. in the past, a pushcart can easily gross $2k one weekend. now? it's lucky you can cover the month's rent. n ya, there are more big fishes testing their prodts with pushcarts cos it's so much more economical than an entire shop. more permanent than event space too~ meaning if the smaller fishes wanna have a bite, they gonna need to find their own niche~

[pelican]

you can say pushcart retail is a kind of entrepreneurship, however, whether it is an effective route or not it is another issue.

[pokerface]

i used to do online sales, and my friends call me an entrepreneur too haha. well, it doesnt matter how big or small scale your biz is. the founders of Ya Kun Kaya Toast and Mr Bean started their business small in hawker-centre-like stores, and even now they are selling humble foodstuff, they're making it big on the F&B business scene!

[CoffeeLover]

No one route to business is to be looked down on. I admit that I used to have a not-so-good impression of small-time pushcart operators. Now I have a totally different perspective. Not many people know that Mr Gunter Rahim, the founder of Donut Factory, started out selling costume jewellery by the roadside. Look where he is now.

I own an online Vietnamese coffee business, with ambitious plans going forward. However, I'm participating in bazaars too, in part to build awareness for my business. I just participated in one at NIE on 7-9 April 2008.

So, nobody is to be looked down upon. Who knows, one day some of us fellow forumers may just form partnerships or alliances. Let's keep in touch!

[whuzzz]

en·tre·pre·neur
1. a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, esp. a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk.
2. an employer of productive labor; contractor.

So, yes, pushcart = entrepreneurship

[enteaq]

pushcart is just another distribution channel.. so yes it's entrepreneurship

[KittyMi]

But I feel that not all products are suitable for pushcart. Most consumers expect lower than usual retail price for products sold thru pushcart, cos they think pushcart is cheaper rental = lower mark ups. It is the same perception with online stores.

I think for products that are targetted at the middle - higher income group, it is still better to sell thru retail shops. It's all about branding and image, how you want your customers see your brand.