'Competition' at Market

16 years ago

I know I'm putting my feet in the fire here and will probably touch off a heated debate, but I'm a little perturbed at what is occurring at my market and want to open a dialogue here to get your thoughts.

I read here almost every day. I have a small farming operation and this will be my third year selling at market. I offer a large variety of items throughout the season. I love what I'm doing and wouldn't do anything else unless forced to do so. It is my intention to eventually earn my living with my farm business. Two weekends ago I attended market with some large, healthy, heirloom tomato starts. My asking price was $1.00 per plant which I thought was low to begin with but it's late in our season. We had frosts here until May 19 so a lot of people were planting late so I took my starts. My booth was just across from an older gentleman also selling tomato starts. However, he priced his at 6/$1.00. I was shocked. He asked if he was priced right and I said "please, raise your prices." He stated he didn't care that much if he sold them as it's just his hobby.

You all see where I'm going with this, I know. Our market is just three years old and already there is an attitude that you don't sell what anyone else is selling (near impossible) and you don't "out-price" them. And yet, a woman from another booth came to mine last fall with pen and paper in hand telling me she was making notes on the sunflower wreaths I'd made so she could copy them for next year. Ok, I can deal with that. I've changed my designs and my wreaths will be better than hers, I hope.

I believe in healthy competition. That's how you are propelled to learn and produce a better product or change your product line accordingly, etc., etc. I think this is probably the hobbyist vs. professional issue that seems to creep into most farmers markets.

What is your opinion?

HarveysPooka

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Comments (33)

reagantrooper
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Price your product where you want. If its a quality product the Market will bear the price. The old adage "you get what you pay for" rings true at the farmers market.

$1.00 for a Tomato plant is way cheap, I hope it was a clerance price!

I have about 45 Tomato seedlings in 4" peat pots left over from my plant sale this year and rather than sell them at a clerance price I am going to compost them. I dont want folks who paid full price ($3.50/Ea) to feel cheated nor do I want folks next year waiting for or expecting the clarence price!
harveyspooka
Original Author
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Reagan, I appreciate your taking the time to post. I'm heading out to my fields here shortly but just wondered if I'd get any response so quick. Thanks.

No, $1 was my start price for my plants. Our market is very small and in a rural area where there's a lot of people living just above poverty level so $1 is about the best I'll do. I plan to start attending two of the markets in the big city near me next year. But for now, I'm at the smaller market.

I guess the other issue is that bad feelings arise when anyone at market threatens another vendor on pricing or goods sold. I have observed certain vendors being ostracized by the others because they were selling the same item at a higher price and actually doing better than another vendor with the same item, but a lower quality item. Is this an issue at larger urban markets as well?

HarveysPooka
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silverwind
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Well, I haven't managed to get my feet wet yet... but here's my $0.02 anyway. :/

I can't imagine *anyone* selling tomatoes at six for a buck. 0_o I'll admit, I'm curious as to your market fees- if he was content selling them at such a price, did he purchase a spot, how much product did he have, etc.
I don't know how someone would pay 'x' for any kind of marketing fees, and be content Losing Money through the whole deal. Unless he was just there for the day, on a lark or a whim or what have you.
In which case, I suppose, you probably don't have to worry about him being back this year... it's next to be concerned with. *shrug*

I also have serious issues with the woman you spoke of who came to *COPY* your items. Sure, competition is great - but variety is better, right? In my occasionally crafting skull, it seems like it's one thing to try and raise quality, or ... I don't know if I'm putting this as well as I ought. If I see something, I think it would be different to sit there by the shop, study the item, trying to figure out how it was made, or designed... hell, if you're going to be that blatant about it, at least BUY ONE and take it home to rip apart!!
But it still seems different to see something and *figure it out on your own*. I see a lot of knitting patterns where 'this stitch, that stitch, these color combinations' are under copyright! But if I were to play with stitches, and make the same pattern by fluke, I only see it as unfortunate coincidence.

*sigh*

I can't speak of any real, personal market experience. This year, I tried to find info on our local market online, and got nothing. Called the Chamber of Commerce, who redirected me to the 'City of' lines, who transferred me to the person who's running the mess.
I've left messages on their voice mail and never even got a message back. :P
(Our market last year consisted of one regular grower, a local company's market people "with a basic cashier type there, who couldn't answer anything about the food, plus one person who knew some and mostly did transport. I hope they usually had more information, maybe it was bad timing on my part.> and someone selling cosmetics, for crying out loud.
Sometimes there would be a 'prepared food' vendor.)

I know there seems to be a bit of bad blood between 'Regular' Market folk and 'Hobbyist' Market folk. And I understand there are reasons, like this one!! It's still hard to get past.
I guess I'd qualify as a Hobbyist, if I could ever even get IN to the market. (Moot point there.) I live on 1/3 acre and am lucky that a great deal is open and sunny, I expand the gardens every year. Still, it's not acreage as most people would think.
I feel uncomfortable trying to talk to others online about serious marketing, for that point alone. I've tried to talk to people at our extension service and got ... little in the way of service. *shrug* And I don't like the feeling that my efforts are a nuisance to so many people.
Our market is so tiny, I feel that ANY more vendors would be a help. And I don't want to see it 1)dissolve, 2)become a conglomeration of small businesses selling makeup and the like, 3)be overrun by NON-local growers, trucking their things in. Although I doubt, at this rate, it will ever get to that point, seems like the first option would occur first.

Ugh, what a mess. I apologize for ranting, but it hit a little close to home. :(
moonblooms
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I can see why this post has become so sticky, so quickly. We all come up against this eventually. We have a product that we compete with two other vendors. We do ours differently, with a more up-scale package and label. We constantly tell our customers what makes our product different. When the customers taste our's versus the other vendor's, they agree it is a much better product and worth the extra money.

I think the trick is in the selling. You've got to convince the customer that they are better off buying your larger, healthier, "heirloom" starts. At our market, some people will seek out the unusual, the organic, and the heirlooms first. For some though, you have to educate them in the difference. Some people don't want to ask questions, so signs work well. I'd even write down what the different seed catalogs say and maybe even include some photos of the tomatoes.

If you feel like the competition is intentionally trying to under-cut you, you should definitely speak to the market manager. As far as "out pricing" each other, I would think that is your business, not the other vendors. If you can get a premium for your product, then good for you. You can always come down off your initial price. Just be friendly, knowledgeable and courteous and the customers will want to come back to you.
mousekabob
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
It's funny, I had my first problem with another vendor last weekend. There is a gentleman who sells flowers and other produce. He was assigned the space next to me last week. When I arrived, his stuff was in my space. I backed in, and started to unload. He just stared at me. I finally looked at him and said "I'm going to move these flower buckets over there".

I'm not competition for him, except for some bouquets, but mine are very small. I just thought it was so rude of him.

On the other hand, I've had a great experience with the other vendors. One lady, who I have been next too most markets, brings one of her little boys with her every week. She sells herb plants (I have cut herbs, and always end up buying something new from her, or giving her something of mine that didn't sell out so she can root it for sale in the future) She's great. I bring buckets of water so there's enough for her stuff and mine, plus enough for her son to ploay in. I mentioned last week that I'd potted up some squash, pumpkin and cucumber plants, and was going to bring them to see if they would see. She said if they fuss at me, she'll claim they are hers. Alot of the other vendors are really nice too.

I just thought it was so rude of that one man to make me move his stuff out of my space, without an offer to help, or an "Oh, I'm sorry", nothing.
moonblooms
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Yep, I've been involved in the space competition too. One day we pulled up and another vendor was parked in front of our booth. They were almost finished unloading and there was a space in front of them so they could have moved up. We asked if they would move their van up and they just said "NO". So, we had to park in front of them and carry back our products. I still can't figure that one out.

I could actually go on about a few other vendors, but I won't. Cooperation and goodwill certainly add a kinder spirit to the market experience. When you've got to be pleasant to your customers, you've got to shake off the bad vibes from the other vendors.
penguingardener
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Although I'm mostly an attendee of markets, I used to have a business that sold computer and electronic accessories at computer market shows (a geek version of farmers markets).

I had similar scenarios, other vendors checking out what I'm selling, what I'm doing, under pricing anything they had to sel that I was selling too. I hated that.

I focused on making repeat and loyal customers. Always try to get the same spot every market too, it makes it easy for them to find you. If not, have some way for them to find you like a color banner sign or something.

And there were other vendors I had a relationship with. Whenever I was solo, they'd watch my space or send people my way if they couldn't help them.

The biggest thing I learned was that the hobbyist or underpricer didn't have staying power and to try to use that to my advantage. I did try to have something new and interesting each market and would tell customers, "come visit us next time and see what new items we have next."
trianglejohn
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
My market is young and growing so there aren't the big crowds of customers that it really needs but it will get there. For the most part all the vendors get along well.

I am a hobbiest but I take my business seriously. My goal is to learn how to make the most possible money from my garden so that later in life when I want to retire from the 9to5 I will have an established side business to expand. I started out this year offering ornamental plants, because nobody else was focused on that. I grow a lot of vegetables but my garden isn't really large enough to provide a truckload of anything - so I was leaving that up to the real farmers/neighboring vendors. But now they've come begging for me to sell the standard garden veggies along with them. They claim that the market cannot have enough tomatoes/cukes/squash! So I guess I will be now competing with my friends. I plan on asking them what the price is for each type of fruit and I don't intend to undercut them (partially because I want the most for my work and because I know I can sell whatever is left over to my co-workers at my day job the following Monday).

Sometimes I think a vendor is just trying to get rid of product - they want it sold at any cost. Selling something for a dollar is better than no sale at all.

I think the general shopper comes to the market with an idea of what things costs. That notion may be ill informed but it is real. If Wallyworld is selling something for less than a buck then the public thinks that is the value of the product. You kinda have to teach them over time what the real value of stuff is. Rome wasn't built in a day.

Lucky for me, around here most of the larger farms have lost their migrant workforce. With no one to pick the strawberries there are no vendors selling strawberries at the market. I get sick of strawberries after the first few weeks and my plants are putting on their second flush of flowers so I'll be the only one at market with fresh picked berries. Wonder how much I can get for them???
diggerdee zone 6 CT
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
triangle john, I could have practically written your post! Our market is also fairly new, and this is my third year selling. We have about two, maybe three full-time, larger-scale farmers, and the rest (about 4 of us) are part-timers, with varying-sized operations.

Luckily, we all get along quite well, and there has never really been any major problems among us.

So yes, I guess I could be considered a hobbyist, but like triangle john, I do take my business seriously, and have expanded each year, and hope to continue to do so. And like triangle john, I'm often encouraged by my market master to bring more and different veggies, although I do primarily cut flower bouquets and plants, and although there are other, bigger farmers. I take this as a sign of the cooperation among us, and think its a good thing.

And yes, customers do come to the market with an idea of what things cost - and it's not always a good thing! I find, unfortunately, that many people think the market is a flea market, not a farmer's market, and it does take a lot of education to inform the customers that that tomato at the supermarket that she can get for 10 cents cheaper is older, less tasty, and probably pesticide-laden, as opposed to the tomato on my table which was just picked this morning. It's an on-going thing.

I guess, after all my going on, this really doesn't help you much, Harveyspooka! Sorry. I can certainly understand your frustration, though. I think it just takes sticking to your guns, because you believe in the quality and value of your product, and building a relationship with customers, which will take time.

Best of luck to you.
Dee
ohiorganic
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
In my experience with hobbiests/others who undercut don't let it bother you as these people rarely make enough money to keep coming back and one of he basics of selling a market is reliabiliy-if you are here every week wih high quality items you can get your price. yes people are price conscious but what is more important to customers at farmers markets is he reliability of the vendors. If you are not there every week you will not develop a following, if you are you will and your cusomer base will generally not abandon you for he guy with 6 tomatoes for a buck (who is losing money BW and will not be able to afford to come back next year at that price)
teauteau
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Hi All,
I really appreciated this string of messages. This is my second year selling and I have had pretty good luck in my dealings both with the sellers and the growers. Fortunately, haven't had to deal with too many "hobbyists" or people who undercut prices. I work hard to bring in nice, quality, tasty produce. I expect to be compensated appropriately. I'm not giving the stuff away. Hobbyists will come and go. Like someone else said, they don't have the staying power. They want a quick buck and their intentions aren't necessarily bad either but a lot of them don't have a good handle on why the rest of us are at the market. To make a profit. At least, that's why I'm there. Like Triangle John and some of the rest of you, I want to make this a viable business, something I can do when I leave the grind of my current career. I enjoy farming and marketing and hope I have a few more years to do it. I'm working hard at it. I'm proud of my work and people appreciate an artisan, a farmer, whomever who is proud of his/her work. It makes them want to be part of it or to buy it. Like some of the rest of you, I concentrate on improving my produce, improving my spiel, educating my customers about my produce. I try to provide recipes, a little history and some nutritional data. People have more confidence in a person who knows his produce and is enthusiastic about his produce, even if someone a few booths down is selling at 1/2 or less than your price. Most people also appreciate quality. Hang in there and stick to your principles. You'll make out fine in the longrun. You''ll be someone people know, recognize and can count on for quality goods. Just my 2 cents.
diggerdee zone 6 CT
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
You're dead on, ohiorganic! That customer relationship is key.

BTW, just to clarify, by "part-timer" or hobbyist, I meant that, unlike the full-time, professional farmers, we have other, full-time jobs, in addition to having our market gardens (and some of the part-timers have amazingly large gardens, complete with animals, bees, soap and wax products, and one woman even finds the time to spin her own yarn from her animals' wool). I didn't mean we did not attend the market every week. Considering the other responsibilities the part-timers have, it's really amazing that we all show up every week for all those weeks!

Dee
reagantrooper
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I consider myself a hobby market gardener because I have a real full time job. I do take my hobby seriously and look to make a profit at it. Most times my stuff is at the higher end of the price spectrum.
penguingardener
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
reagantrooper,

I imagine full-time market gardeners consider their job to be "real."

"I consider myself a hobby market gardener because I have a real full time job".
harveyspooka
Original Author
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thank you everyone for taking the time to respond to my post and make this a very informative discussion. I have no romantic notions about doing this for a living, it's harder than an 8 to 5 job, but I absolutely love what I'm doing, as I can tell you all do too.

Our third market was today and though it was very slow still, it was really nice. In reference to my original post, I hope I didn't give the wrong impression. I have yet to meet a truly rude vendor. Today we all chatted each other up, asking about different things he/she is growing and what they'll be bringing in the coming weeks. There were more of us than customers so it was really fun to just network and get ideas.

I was a hobbyist until this year. I won't make money this year but I'm in it for the experience and to help me grow. I certainly have nothing against hobbyists at all. I just want to be fair and still earn a living. Those goals don't always seem to work together, do they?

Thanks again all,
HarveysPooka
trianglejohn
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
More thoughts on competition:

I'm a chatty guy. I spend my down time talking to other vendors and to the customers so I hear a lot of what other people think the "problem" is or isn't. I hear customers complain that they came all the way to the market to buy apples and nobody was selling apples (hello!... it's Spring!! apples are a fall crop). I hear vendors complain that another seller is giving their stuff away (meaning too low of a price). All of these point to a certain set of problems/solutions but the overall situation is that it takes a great deal of time to educate the customer as to what you are or aren't.

Some customers think we are a flea market - why? because we have a lot of craft vendors (though I think our crafters are big step above flea market and more in line with craft fair style of work). All in all, no matter what WE do, our market can be perceived as a flea market simply because many places nearby have a similar type of parking lot set up and they are small, corner, weekend, flea markets. There is no way to educate the public that we are different except to show them if and when they decide to shop with us and even then, we can't control their thoughts and they may leave the experience still believing we are nothing more than a flea market.

Many customers have a unclear view about 'farmer's markets' because the state has a well organised, well advertised state farmers market that corrupts that image by allowing reselling and setting up circumstances that shove small scale farms out and only lets in large mega farms. It amazes me how often I have to explain that the pineapple you just bought at the state farmers market couldn't have been grown here in North Carolina. But still, they got a great deal on it so they don't care that it actually came from Mexico.

Our market does these wonderful "spot" surveys each week. Where we hand out colored sticky dots (or spots) and let the customers stick them to a poster by the response that best answers a basic question. The overriding response to how they heard about our market is "word of mouth" which is something we can't buy, nor can we control, we can influence it a little but what people say about us outside of the market is beyond our reach. How do we educate people about what a true farmers market is when they still show up in the spring looking for fresh picked apples?

Yes there is competition within the market. The customers that do show up only have so much money in their pockets and all the vendors want it or at least some of it. But there are problems inside the customers heads as well as outside the market that are much bigger competition for those dollars than anything going on inside the stalls.
dirtdigging101
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
trianglejohn , amen i am in nc too in the hickory area and so much u said is so true. yes it takes time to educate the customer but it is well worth it. i grow mainly tomatoes and do so in a greenhouse in the dirt and like home grown and i stick to my prices and my wuality but like u said it takes time
mousekabob
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Well, since I'm unemployed, this is more than a hobby right now.

Got interviewed for the local paper yesterday (and they took pictures of my sunflowers). AS I put it, we have half an acre, and i'm turning it into 'surburban agriculture'.

ha, the guy next to me, who was apain last week. Yesterday, a guy who recognized my son from working in the local grocery story came by. At one point he was staring at the guy next doors bouquets. I just looked at him and said "Come on, you know you want 'em". he laughed, we all got into a talk about proper bouquet care, and he bought the guys flowers.

Also, I started using a trick I read on here. Some of my flowers are too short for regular bouquets. I'd been putting 'em in mugs, which sold the first week, but not since. Anywah, I started handing the shorties to small children. One lady came back and bought all my short bouquets!!! So, from now on instead of just deadheading my too short flowers, I'm gonna save them for freebies.

It was so cute, one little boy just light up when I gave him a tiny sunflower!!!
wackybell
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I think I've read all of the comments and there will be more.

I have a lot to say but I will not discuss online about a problem that just came up recently. Someone who sells the same beef and pork products as us; did not like their assigned spot at market. So they paid the lady next to me to share her spot. It is not ugly. But its not all rosey either. We have a very quiet generator but sometimes we plug into a light pole, to keep another vendor happy. Now with 3 vendors pluging into the outlet, we are blowing a circut. Besides all of this; our street sidewalk is under construction. Making very tight quarters at market.

This winter I listened to an audio cd that I picked up at the upper midwest organic farming conferece You could purchase the cd from
http://www.organicvoices.com/Home_Page.php
click on organic voices speak. buy "succesful secrets for farmers markets"

I urge eveyone reading to purchase at least 2 listen to it and then pass it onto other market vendors. It's what I did. The speaker has some very powerful messages about farmers markets.
Miss_Kitty
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
To add an encouraging word to all of you:

There are more farmers markets now than there have been in the last one hundred years. This is because people are starting to look around for better quality produce. Some magazines call it the "slow food" revolution. So there are going to be growing pains on both sides of the table, so to speak.

So hang in there!
herbalistic
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I started looking for a local market as soon as I moved to this small rural community. AT first it was completely unorganized, just a few farmers who'd back up to the courthouse square on a Sat. morning. I'd looked for them in June the first year here and didn't find anything because most of them didn't have stuff until July. Since then we've organized the market, gotten city backing, grants for signage and such and increased to as many as 20 vendors in a season. Last year and this we started market the last 2 weeks in May and I am hoping to convince others to start the beginning of May like a lot of other markets do. NO reason we can't -we have crafters and plant people to fill in until the produce comes on.
Anyway - one of the bones of contention before I came on was the same thing you mentioned, they call it "dumping" where someone just wants to get rid of what they have an excess in so they undersold everyone else at the market - in this case it was sweet corn and no one else was able to sell coz they couldn't afford to just "give" their produce away like that.
We mention it in our Market info that we pass out to all new vendors that is is not fair to the other vendors and not healthy for the market to undersell like this so we allow no "dumping". We suggest that everyone try to stay within 50 cents of supermarket prices and keep that as our standard for "fair market pricing". We encourage our vendors to not fall more than 50 cents below what other vendors are charging.
I think most of our vendors understand how hard we all work to get our produce to market altho' previously a few of them were rather notorious for having lower prices than everyone else. Everyone has come on board with this however, and we've been able to have fairly good cooperation and comraderie within our market.
Perhaps those "hobbyists" you mention, just need a little educating to see how their actions hurt others who work hard to try to make a living at the market.
trianglejohn
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
It was explained at one of our market meetings that it is against the law for anyone to tell anyone what their prices need to be. I don't remember if that was a state law or a federal law but the person that was doing the explaining had the wording memorized and it sounded quite official.

If I was running a market, and someone was showing up and dumping product, after the first time they would not be getting a spot in the market until they learned the lesson that the market needs everyone to play fair or play elsewhere.
sharon21144
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I am new to this site and have never been to a farmer's market as a buyer or a seller. My husband and I love to garden (hobby backyard gardeners). Last year we did very well with our tomato crop and sold tomatoes real cheap at a relative's yard sale (better to make a few bucks than to see them go to waste after all that work). I have wondered about the farmer's market as an option to sell extra vegetables if we do well again this year. I also love to divide and propogate house plants and ornamental plants and have more than I need. How does one know the best fair price to ask so as not to offend others? Do you all mind if someone asks you this information just to know how to price their items? What does it generally cost to be there as a seller? Do you have to be a licensed business? Any advice, rules, or proper etiquette you all can share with a newbie who would love to get into this business? I am in Maryland.
a_white_rabbit
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
..in reply to the original question..

..you just gotta stiff it out, the hobbyists won't be there next week, you will, and when the punter comes back, for more or to complain , whatever, you'll be the one he comes to, if you did your first meeting correctly, then you just add some compost, water regularly, light weeding (they have such shallow roots at the start) etc..

..you grow customers...

..and to Sharon..you price like anything else, cost of land area over 10 years, time taken per crop, external inputs, seed cost, vehicle cost etc + 10% for error, then start again from that base with the calculations for the marketing side..result..price at market..

..i did some sums recently on lettuce, i get more selling at 30Peso/kilo locally, than i do getting 50Peso/kilo offer-price at the Dabaw wholesale market, and i have no transport (300kms round trip) headaches, i hate driving and cities anyway, so guess which bunny's gonna stay at home ?..

..TURN-OVER DOES NOT = PROFIT
trianglejohn
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I think that doing the math gives you the base of what your price needs to be. There are markets where you can make premium dollars selling but these markets can be harder to break into and it takes years to build up a reliable customer base. The worst thing you can do is give your product away (unless donating to charity). It is very hard to start selling something you were recently giving away for free. You're dealing with two distinct types of customers, you have to handle things differently.

On one hand - any type of competition is good for business. What we all want is for MORE people to shop at open air markets (either farmers market, fruit stands or flea markets). The only way to get more people into the markets is to teach them about it and that means getting out there and mingling with the masses. So even if you're selling extra tomatoes at a friends garage sale and even if you later do the math and realize you didn't make much money from it - you taught some people that vegetables can be bought somewhere other than the grocery store and that tomatoes don't have to be trucked from across the country to be edible.

It is so easy to think that if you are the only person selling product X at the local farmers market that it will be easy to sell lots of it. The truth is that the only way to sell a lot of product X is to find lots of customers that want product X. If no one has ever offered product X locally then none of the customers going to that market know anything about it and only so many customers will pay good money for something they know nothing about. Imagine going to your local farmers market and seeing some strange tropical fruit that you've never tasted or even heard of. How many pounds of that fruit are you going buy. Some people are adventurist but most people aren't - they buy the classics, the maintstream, the usual stuff.

The best thing is to sell at a market where a few other vendors are selling the same type of product - that way more customers will be shopping there becaue they've learned that they can depend on your market to provide them what they want. If you completely stand out, offering something unusual and foreign, you'll impress a few people but not enough to make big money.
nancyofnc
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I agree with Triangle John except for his last point. I bring unusual stuff just to pull people into my booth. I sell mostly plants in the spring then the usual veggies as the season allows. In summer no one wants to buy plants but they like might look at the unusual cut flowers I'll bring (right now I have fragrant Easter Lilies in bloom - their normal time, not forced time). The weird stuff pulls the potential customers in so then they really look at what else I have in my booth (=normal). I've sold freshly dug horseradish roots, Mexican sour gherkins, patty pan squash, white skinned cucumbers, garlic scapes, squash blossoms, orange beets, non-red heirloom tomatoes, next will be mustard seeds to grind your own. Not tons of any but enough that customers come back every week to see what weird thing I have, and then they also buy the normal stuff. You all may not agree with my tactics but at least it keeps ME from being bored with the same old stuff. Our market is not very big so I think, if nothing else, I am offering them entertainment value and that brings them back towing their neighbors and visitors which equals more traffic through the booths!

Nancy
Miss_Mudcat
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I am the price patrol person at the markets I attend.... self-appointed. I go around encouraging all the growers to RAISE YOUR PRICES! Then I remind them about purchasing the seeds, sowing the seeds, transplanting, labeling, watering, weeding, pest control, fertilizing... etc. etc. etc. etc.! We growers are NOT WAL-MART! We are real people, working really hard to grow VERY NICE things! Our whole hearts and souls are in it, whether full or part time! No one has any idea what a FAIR price is anymore. Let us remind them!

My personal policy is to invite anyone who complains about prices out to the farm to work and allow them to take home whatever produce they desire. NO TAKERS SO FAR!

:-)

Sincerely,
Lisa
mxbarbie
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
When I can't sell tomato starts etc I just take them back home and put them in a bigger pot, keep watering for 4-6 weeks and then sell them with fruit on for a premium when no one else has any tomato plants left. Works every year ; )
anniew
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
The market where I was the coordinator for three years has basically eliminated the "hobby" problem. We expect vendors to be in business, and to verify that by submitting a certificate of insurance, sales tax number if applicable (cut flowers and plants are taxable in PA), nursery license for those selling plants, certified kitchens if selling baked goods, and whatever applies to those selling meat and any other product.
We probably lose some potential vendors, but if they are in business for real, they will have the things that any legitimate business must have.
Some of the things can be expensive although I can get a "rider" on my house insurance policy for the liability insurance at the farmers market as well as product liability for an additional $30 a year. Sales tax doesn't cost anything and requires minimal bookeeping while a nursery license is $40 a year. For the person in business these are inconveniences, but definitely not prohibitive amounts. For the hobbyist, it is a real turnoff. It eliminates the dumping problem and also keeps the hobbyist who just wants to have a social day while undermining the serious grower/producer whether part time or full time.
Just an idea to consider if your market makes it rules with the vendors in mind. Our rules were made by vendors voting on them, and were not made to exclude serious, business minded vendors as we have no limit on the amount of people who could sell the same things. But all of them were mindful of the real costs of selling so they could make a profit.
negirl
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Our market also has pretty strict rules. It was organized 3 years ago as a "green" market. No reselling allowed, you must have grown what you are selling, almost no crafts, non-local produce must have an exemption by the Board of Directors. We only have allowed some fruit in due to hail this year and a freeze the previos year wiping out most local fruit. Our market manager encourages vendors to raise their prices if she sees someone that is way low and has found a good mix of vendors so that there is not usually a glut of one thing. most of the vendors are very friendly and bring quality stuff.I do have to continually remind my neighbor where my stall starts and his ends, though. I feel very lucky to be part of such an outstanding market, and the customers are very happy with us too.
I am shocked that the state would organize a farmers market and allow reselling! You should organize and pressure your officialls to require everthing to be sold by the grower. (easier said than done, I know.)
I firmley believe that the more urban an area you are selling in the better. Yout customer will have more money to spend, and will not have their own garden, so the sooner you can get into a larger market in a bigger city, the better. I also agree that if you are bringing quality produce week after week (fresh, clean, not over or under mature), you can ask whatever you need to, and get it regardless of what others are asking.
jrslick (North Central Kansas, Zone 5B)
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I don't know what you would call me. I have a full time job as a teacher and I garden on a large scale. I usually hit 2-3 markets a week during the summer. Today I had a new problem. A place out of a bigger town drove up an old rusted out van full of stuff. I know of these people, I have seen them sell stuff in the big town and they just move alot of produce. They do raise stuff, but most of what they sell is bought and resold. They were low balling prices. Zucchini 4 for a $1, Cucumbers 3 for a $1. Give me a break, you can't buy it that cheap at any grocery store! They even said the tomatoes came out of another state and they had melons from somewhere. They were like a traveling produce department. They were unloading a bunch of stuff. It made myself and others upset. We have had a good market and been able to keep good prices to strong prices. Then "they" come in.

We don't have rules at our farmers market. It is a back up the truck and sell type of deal. It has its perks and its drawbacks. I hope they don't come back next week. I would have gone and talk to them and ask them to raise prices, but my espanol is not as good as it should be. It was a slow day at the market and I hope it was not profitable for them and they don't come back.

Has anyone had this problem before.
omgd
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Interesting thread!!

Personally speaking, i'm a borderline hobbyist/farmer and was recently thinking of ways to not want to dump an over-abundance of produce at the markets, therefore undermining prices, was to either to feed my chickens (lower cost of feed in meantime-perfect timing and idea for raising meatbirds) or just to donate it to charity.

Do people normally do that sort of thing?
oregon_veg
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
This subject is the very reason why some people should not be running markets. Proper strategy and vision will keep this problem from happening. I've seen too many markets pop up and fail because the people running it have no idea what they're doing. Running a successful market means keeping BOTH shopper and vendor happy. The environment needs a feel of happiness and content. I'd discuss this problem with the coordinators.

'Competition' at Market

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'Competition' at Market

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