During this holidays, I've heard of my friends talking about fleas that they're really looking forward to. My first reaction would be, "Isn't that something only dogs had?" but I realised recently that there's a difference between the bloodsucking parasites and the fleas my friends were referring to.
Flea Markets, or 'fleas' for short, are places where people rent stalls for a fixed price and are allowed to legally sell any item that they feel like, ranging from second hand clothes, brand new ones, stuff that they bought but realised are too small, too big, too bright, too ugly, or just 'not them'. Tshirts, shorts, caps, shades, keychains, ice cream, slippers and even toiletries; the beauty of fleas are the endless variety of items on sale, and the element of surprise when you realise you find a gem!
Granted, majority of my friends who are fans of fleas are females. However, they insist that guys go to fleas too, and that was how I was forced to attend my first flea. It was a Zouk flea, I remember. Nightclubs are often used, and opened in the day, for the simple fact that they can provide a huge area that can be used to set up stalls, in other words, sort of like a warehouse. Besides, the music and setting also helps draw the youth to these fleas. That, coupled with the fact that this would be the only rare opportunity for them to be in a club before they turn legal, these fleas are usually a big hit.
When I stepped into my first flea, i realised that admittedly, majority of the vendors were females, selling their clothes. From famous 'blogshop' owners to the occasional mother helping her teenage daughter sell some barang barang, you'd see a variety of people, and honestly, it's quite a funny sight. ((: One thing that struck me though, was the amount of male items that were also on sale too. Some of the girl's boyfriends, brothers, and male friends in general split the cost of renting the stall, and then also sell their items. True enough, there were indeed a number of males shopping at the flea as well.
Now in my 3 years in Ngee Ann, I realized that these fleas have made their way to our school too! Believe it or not, convention halls, corridors, underpass, and even canteens are at times converted into "flea market" zones/areas, with students being able to rent 'stalls' and sell their items. One such example was the School's Out Shop-In (SOS) 2010, a flea market organized by final year Business Studies students specialising in Marketing. It was held on the 26th of January this year, and the i remember heading for my lunch break at Canteen 2, and having to pass through the underpass.
Women's and Men's apparel, accesories, facial products, you name it, this place had it! The 1-day event attracted a throng of students to the underpass, and even Red Bull was being handed out to all shoppers during the event to liven up the atmosphere. I remember thinking to myself 'Wow, this is really a convenient and nice surprise'. The reason i say that was the fact that i had an exam the next day. I was in school for revision. And no way could i have guessed that i would be going home that day with shopping done. I bought 4 shirts, and a couple of wrist bands. The thing about these fleas in school is that whether you are busy, with projects, or simply mugging for exams, it is a perfect stress-reliever. Even if it means to simply "window-shop", or to be more precise stall-shop. There aren't exactly windows. ;)
There are so many plus points. You've managed to get some shopping done, without going to some faraway place. Spending big is also very unlikely, with prices slashed as many of these vendors simply want everything they have to go by the end of the day. I think it's a great idea since the target market for shoppers are us students, and what better place to bring these fleas in, then our own 'backyard'?
So give me a flea in Ngee Ann Poly any day. You save the traveling time, you save money, it's conveniently located in school, and the quality of items on sale isn't compromised. So whether you're a students, a visitor, or a teacher, these fleas are always good news and well-received by the masses.
Many of my friends, who helped organize the SOS flea mentioned above, have said that they're already looking forward to SOS2 happening in the near future. And I'm one of them (;
