How do locals know which market stalls are about to lower prices?
Unsold inventory changes the conversation.
Locals often learn which vendors reduce prices near closing time, before weather changes, or when inventory remains higher than expected.
Visitors usually see prices as fixed. Experienced market shoppers often see them as temporary.
The hidden mechanism is perishability pressure. Vendors selling fresh products must constantly balance profit against the risk of carrying unsold inventory.
Imagine a fruit vendor approaching the end of the day with more stock than expected. Every unsold item increases the chance of future waste.
A second-order effect develops because regular customers learn these patterns. Vendors know locals are watching, and locals know vendors know they are watching.
People often think discounts begin when prices change. Many discounts begin when inventory stops moving.
