Good Market — Attraction in Colombo

Having explored most markets in Colombo, I must say, if you're expecting to spend an hour immersing yourself in vibrant stalls and unique finds like even the smallest market in Spain, you’ll be sorely disappointed. These markets barely took us 10 minutes to walk through—some even less than that.

At the "Good Market" near the racecourse, a glaring sign read: "Bankrupt financially and bankrupt morally." It wasn’t just the sign that left a bad impression; people had recommended these markets, so I had hoped for something more substantial, perhaps a lively atmosphere with street food and a variety of stalls. Instead, every stall seemed geared solely towards tourists, lacking authenticity.

What really soured the experience was the blatant overcharging. A curd vendor had labels clearly stating Rs. 700, yet when my wife—fluent in Sinhala—asked, the price magically became $20. This left both of us with a bitter taste, literally and figuratively.

Are these markets worth your time? In my opinion, absolutely not. And while my feedback may fall on deaf ears, to the organisers, I’d suggest rethinking the concept entirely. Turn it into a proper experience—a place worth visiting. If you lack the know-how, perhaps consult someone who understands how to run a vibrant market. Where’s the variety? Years ago, I knew someone who sold rabbits and chicks at the Good Market, but now there’s not a single animal in sight. The whole affair feels poorly run and lackluster.

On a positive note, Google Maps did its job, guiding us to the right buses. Although it took us slightly further than necessary, requiring a longer walk, it wasn’t a big issue compared to the market experience itself.

In summary: underwhelming, overpriced, and not...

I wrote a good review about the Saturday Good Market on Racecourse grounds. It remains the same. 4 stars!

This is about the organic shop on Independence Avenue. Today I had a very bad experience with the staff there. There were two other customers when I arrived and they were being served. I wanted to buy fruit and asked the man at the counter. He replied and continued with his work on the cash machine. Other guy was also busy at the desk. I waited my turn patiently till the other two customers left. But the two staff members continued with their work. When I asked them whether I could buy the fruit I selected, the big made tall guy got annoyed and said they only just opened, to be patient, that there were other things to do and then the second guy who was always polite on other days also joined in the rude remarks in Sinhala "ඉන්න, ඉන්න අපිට වැඩ තියනවා. ඉවසන්න. මේ ඇරියා විතරයි. ඔයා ඉල්ලපු දේ මතක තියාගන්න බෑ.. වැඩ, ටිකක් ඔහොම ඉන්න" I'm very disappointed with the customer relations today. I give one star because previously the staff has been very nice and helpful. It's the person who was checking on the computer or cash machine that started it. Over to you, management! Please do something. I'm shocked ! (This happened on Saturday 1st April 2023) The lady at the store who said she's the one in charge apologized a few days later when I visited the shop and mentioned the incident. She assured that it won't happen again. I appreciate that she has taken...

I have been visiting Good Market for a few years. Previously I had great customer service and was satisfied. I normally come here to have coffee do some reading and relax. Today as I walked in rather than a good morning or how can I help you, the first thing one of the guys who was serving coffee came up to me with a very intimidating question you'd ask from someone loitering was what do you want. And I said that I came to get coffee. It might have been one of his off days but even while serving the coffee he came out as a very rude person. And while I was having my coffee and reading he came up to me and said that if other customers walk in I'll have to leave, (Something which no one has ever told me at good market) and I complied saying okay that if anyone comes I'll leave. Few minutes later he got me to stand up saying he needs to clean and took his time to clean up after which I was very disappointed and upset as to what happened to the friendly customer service I had previously. Normally I wouldn't fuss about small issues I've had. But this time I spoke to the manager who's name was Charith. I would still visit again and hope not to find such a poor disappointing customer service by one person who can ruin the whole image of the brand Good Market. Hope to see changes been...