Sid celebrates a fair 50 years on the stall

On Saturday, the salesman will have clocked up half-a-century at Salisbury market, where he has become well-known for his slogan 'What a fair man'.

Sid, now 75, established his business selling towels and bedding in 1954, and for 45 years he attracted a large crowd as he bartered down his own prices.

"It was like a backwards auction," he said.

"Instead of going up, the price came down and people got more and more for their money.

"That's how I got my slogan 'What a fair man'.

"People would come from all over to watch me do my thing - they would draw up chairs and listen to the patter."

In recent years, market forces have forced Sid to change his sales technique.

"In the past, my competitors were other market traders," he said.

"But now it's all the shops and department stores.

"People like to see and touch what they are going to buy and spend more time thinking about it, so the old patter

doesn't work in the same way any more."

Nevertheless, Sid says Salisbury market has retained much of its character.

"The customers are great," he said.

"We understand each other - I've got to make a living but I'll always try to give them a bargain.

"It's nice to work somewhere where a market is thriving - it has a good atmosphere."

Sid, who has also worked at Wimborne Market for 35 years, has no plans to give up his Salisbury pitch after 50 years on the job.

"I'm not going anywhere," he said.

"It is a shame that many youngsters don't see running a market stall as a profession these days.

"It's been a great job for me all these years."

With 'What a fair man' emblazoned on his cheque book and credit cards, Sid says a good relationship with his customers has been the key to his success.

"When I did the auctioning, I'd tell jokes and have some banter," he said.

"Running the stall is still fun but I miss those times with the crowd - the old days were definitely the best."