It doesn't matter if you grew up in markets or got turned onto them as a weekend fling, chances are if you've been spending time with us these past few months or done any Brooklyn flea marketing, you've undoubtedly asked yourself what kind of market-goer you are. As veteran marketers (as they call us) who do marketing (as they call it, truth) for a living, we took a step back and asked ourselves what's the best way to shop and flea? And while lists are great blog-fodder, we took this assignment to heart.
1) Go with the flow: depending on the market and the extent to which it's overly-curated and overly-designed, many markets take flow seriously. Where you walk, how you walk, how fast you walk - these things matter. And while they may not be engineered the way traffic is in Times Square, there's a method to the madness. Don't try to out-smart it. Go with it. Be zen about it.
2) Go with no plan: any market worth its salt is part discovery to equal part surprise. If you've got a plan (I need to find a pair of roller skates or I cannot leave until I find Prince's 1999 on vinyl), you've got an expectation that will probably leave you disappointed. So drop it. Don't have a plan. Let the market unfold in front of you.
3) Listen and linger: the magic of the markets is the sensory overload and the relief from that overwhelmingness and sense of intimacy that stepping into a seller's space provides. Do yourself the favor of listening to what sellers' stories are. They're constantly crafting them and they're there for you.
There's no doubt that others have their own market approaches. Got a strong pov on something we missed? Tease us...tell us. We are infinitely curious to know.