Flower market faces biggest day
CBC uses Valentine’s Day as a hook for a story about the city’s wholesale flower market, a thing I never knew existed.
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Kate
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Clément 09:39 on 2019-02-12 Permalink
Wow, thanks so much for sharing that.
My very job (with a paycheque) at 15 was working at the Interprovincial Flower Market (in addition to washing dishes at the Hawaiian Palace). It used to be on Brunswick, near Sources. Our shift started around 4am to prepare for the 7am auction and we’d be done around 8:30. School at Polyvalente des Sources started at 9am, so it was the perfect part-time job for a morning person like me. There’d be an auction on Tuesdays and Thursdays. More during busy periods (Valentine’s, Easter and Mother’s day). I’d show up at school smelling like roses, carnations and potted plants!!!
The analog clock shown around 0:15 is the old one that was used at the Brunswick warehouse. It would go counterclockwise until a buyer pressed a button to stop at their desired price. Whoever pressed first saw their seat number light up and they’d buy the lot, whatever it was.
Our job was to empty the freight trucks (that had arrived overnight) before the auction to showcase the merchandise and, during the auction, to distribute the purchased lots to the buyers and help them load their trucks.
Tim F 11:04 on 2019-02-12 Permalink
Huh. I always assumed the city’s flower market was at the southeast corner of Marché central.
Mr.Chinaski 12:16 on 2019-02-12 Permalink
Does the MTL flower auction works the same way (reverse auction with a clock where you press a button) as the Aalsmeer Flower Auction ? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUJoRMD0B-Y
Kate 12:25 on 2019-02-12 Permalink
Mr.Chinaski, the article says their system is based on the Dutch one.
Clément: thanks for the memories!