[1970XW351]

.... That someone would pay $70 to set up at a swap meet for two days, with camping included, only to leave by lunch time on the first day...?

This trend has been going on for a fair while now but is getting worse with each passing year. I have been coming to the Toowoomba swap since I was a wee lad and only missed a handful in 40 something years.

It used to be that you'd set up on Friday and wouldn't leave until late Sunday afternoon. Nowadays, the place is half empty by mid afternoon Saturday.

The problem seems to me that the public has to pay $15 odd to get in on Sat and... $8 or so for Sunday. That's an expensive weekend if you want to do both days.... And you'll likely not find anything you may have seen on Saturday still there, come Sunday, nor the sites you may not have gotten around to seeing yet.

I feel a better plan would be to charge one admission fee that covered both days, which would encourage customers to return, thus encouraging siteholders to stay longer.... But, maybe that's just wishful thinking and the whole second hand market is in decline..

Anyway, I'll just sit here, trying to sell my wares to whomsoever will have them until the last possible moment.

Cheers, Tony