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I am a third generation of Mercat dels Encants sellers. Although we have an emblematic place within the market and, as a result of the change in 2013, we have improved its image, especially for tourism, this facility still has many defects to solve.
The inclinations of the main ramp generate pain and poor posture for sellers, as they are inclined at 15 degrees for 12 hours of sales.
The more than 20 meters high of the overhanging roof means that, when it rains, we have to completely cover the tents because the awnings are retracted when there is wind so that they do not break. It forces us vendors to cover our businesses with tarps, billing 0 euros in some cases on rainy days.
Regarding the assembly and disassembly of the stops, called cabinets, when we reach our final days of working life, you are forced to work with a third party to help you assemble. With the taxes paid, it is not enough to hire more than the essential people, if you are lucky.
As for the Barcelona City Council, although there are complaints, and requests are made for improvements, it hides behind the sellers' association so as not to carry out any improvement work.
And, since we are more than 500 establishments or self-employed, no proposal ever goes ahead, either because your competition does not want you to improve or because we sellers do not have enough money for the improvements that we must make individually.
Always keeping in mind that, as we are in a community of sellers, all the changes that are made must be made equally, causing the stall holder or seller to see the margin for improvement of their business reduced.
As if that were not enough, the move to Plaça de les Glòries, next to L'Auditori, has only increased the fees paid to the City Council fourfold in relation to the old market.
Not everything is the beautiful part of the process of changing from the market to the Glòries, as has been shown in other articles in La Vanguardia Readers' Photos. We must not forget that the true Mercat dels Encants are its vendors, since, without them, it would be nothing more than a nice place to spend the day.
