Credit card payments to expand in Türkiye’s street markets

ANKARA

Shoppers in Türkiye will be able to use credit cards at many more stalls in street markets starting Aug. 15, as vendors expand the use of POS machines to make payments easier for customers, according to sector representatives.

Currently, limited card payment options in these traditional markets often lead consumers to shop elsewhere.

Customers often abandon purchases due to a lack of cash, while stallholders report losing business to supermarkets and shopping malls, where card payments are available.

Under the new arrangement, vendors who wish to offer card payments will be able to obtain POS machines through agreements reached with banks.

There will be no legal obligation for stallholders to accept cards as the move is voluntary, but representatives expect strong uptake.

Ali Karaca, president of a street vendors federation, said agreements with several banks will allow interested vendors to receive POS devices.

He stressed that there will be no price difference or extra commission charged to customers paying by card.

“Consumers no longer prefer carrying cash, and this system will make shopping more convenient while helping stallholders compete,” he said.

Mesut Şengün, head of the Istanbul Street Vendors Chamber, told daily Hürriyet that until now, card payments in the street markets existed only on a small scale, mainly among clothing sellers.

Fruit and vegetable stalls largely avoided card systems due to commission fees and device costs.

Şengün estimated that only 20 percent of market transactions are currently made by card, but predicted this could rise to 90 percent by year’s end.

Türkiye has 326,000 street market vendors, including 30,000 in Istanbul alone, according to Şengün.

He noted that the shift was driven by the vendors themselves after sales dropped in the past year.

Card-only sales losses accounted for roughly 20 percent of the decline, while overall market sales have also been affected by rising fruit and vegetable prices.

Set to be rolled out nationwide, the system aims to draw back customers who have moved away from street markets in recent years.

In Türkiye, street markets are largely open-air markets, set up in residential areas on specific days of the week.

They offer a wide variety of goods, from fresh fruit, vegetables, legumes, cheese, olives, fish and spices to clothing and household items.

Prices are often lower than in supermarkets, and bargaining is a common tradition.

Each city, and even each neighborhood, has its own designated market days and unique product range.