a few weeks ago a woman bought a pint of cherry tomatoes from me. she told me to pour them in her little bag of shiitakes. she paid me and left the bag on my table never to be seen again. roasted shiitakes were very good.

I had an elderly woman leave behind on small baggie of what looked to be raisins but turned out to be dog poop in a basket of (thankfully bagged) lettuce a few months ago.

The dogs are the worst. Knocking stuff over, sniffing in produce bins. I had a guy with a large un-neutered dog that he deliberately walked behind my stand, and let the dog lay down right next to me. It was a hot day and he presumably did this to let his dog get out of the sun. I was busy with a customer and didn't realize there was a dog right next to me until i turned around and nealy tripped over it. I told the owner that i couldn't have a dog so close to food and the guy moved the dog over, but where it was still in the shade of my canopy. I moved some coolers to create a wall blocking the dog from entering my area, and i had to do this the following week as well because the dog owner tried the same thing.

Lucy - yuck!

I can see service dogs, but don't really like any animals coming into the booth. Another reason to get more tables - get stuff above the level of the dogs' heads. My stacked boxes are easier to handle (but I guess take up more room in truck, and I can pack bins inside them) but not high enough.

Randy - I usually am not that busy, I go running after people. Even if I have another customer, the market is small enough that after I deal with the next person and notice the thing left behind, I can usually see the person at another stall and bring it to them. Or if I notice before they get too far, and yell, the customer(s) at the stand will wait until I go meet them halfway to bring it to them. I've never had someone pay and not get what they paid for. I think I have had people walk off with stuff though (probably not while I'm away from the stand, but just distracted and they might have thought they paid, b/c I've been short a few times in amounts that didn't seem like a mistake making change - though I've had that happen too when kids have helped out).

my facebook rant says it all! lol
I posted this a couple of weeks ago

Please don't...

Don't let your kids squeeze, handle, throw, eat, or otherwise break the tomatoes, apples, cucumbers or plants! and if they do, please be nice and either offer to buy it or at least say I'm sorry and tell them to quit! I had to in the last week stop 3 kids from throwing cherry tomatoes at each other, and pick up a cucumber where a 8 yr old or so boy threw it, and stop multiple kids from squashing down on the tomatoes and throwing them.

Don't squeeze veggies and fruits and then not buy them...Do you really have to squeeze each heirloom tomato to get the best one? If I tell you they were picked in the last day or two, I'm not lying to you. I actually do know what I'm talking about...

Don't pick pumpkins up strictly by the stems and when the stems snap off, like they do, leave it sitting there and walk off. Do you really think anyone else wants that jack-o-lantern with no stem?

Don't let your dogs pee on the plants! or if it takes a dump, clean it up, just don't walk off like you didn't know! Also, leashes are really hard on things, if your dog drags it's leash across the mums often they break off pieces and flowers and are totally unsaleable. Ditto on your cute toddler that you're letting stand there and pick off all the flowers. I had to stop a little kid after picking a whole handful of flowers one day and mom was just standing there.

Don't just pick up a cherry tomato without asking permission and eat it, or anything else! How would you like it if I just reached over and took a swig of your coffee?Maybe I will next time.....

Don't try to engage me in a really long conversation at the Saturday market, I know you have the day off, but I'm actually working and really working hard, by the way. If five people walk off while we're talking about the cute thing your dog/granddaughter/friend/child did, I might have lost $50 or more in revenue. Please, let's talk another time when I can actually pay attention?

Don't engage in a long conversation with anyone standing right by my booth so that no one can see what I have for sale. I know you haven't seen that old neighbor that moved 20 years ago, but can't you move to a place where you're not blocking traffic and view of my products for sale to catch up on the last 20 years? If people can't see my products, they aren't likely to buy them.

I know most of you all aren't like that, and the ones that are aren't likely to read this anyway, but I really feel better! I'm speaking for all the vendors on this one, and it's not just here, it's everywhere. Courtesy!

Wow Sandy, long rant! Can you actually post something that long on FB? I'm lucky, I haven't had kids throwing things, most don't even pick anything up. Though yesterday I did have a kid standing on my weight bag on the leg right behind my antique cart. Mom was a couple stalls over (don't people watch their kids? Maybe not what they're doing, but at least be aware if they're nearby or run off? This boy was 5-6) so I just told him he was too big - or the leg was too skinny - if he was trying to hide. He smiled and ran off.

Oh yeah, and one of the people who works for market board (run to benefit library) came up to my table yesterday at height of market, sets down his carbon paper pad right next to scale - I paid him my fee and he's writing out receipt as customers are lining up behind him. I said that's OK, I'll get it later, he says No, I'm almost done...some people did walk off while he was there.

I paid the MM before market last week and she didn't give me a receipt, I don't care, I know what days I was at market and write in my log book what I sold for how much and also write down the fee. Do you think I should get a receipt for that week (out of order if they're numbered)? Last year they didn't give receipts. I'd be willing to just take one at the end of the season.

Wow, I bet this 'can-o-worms' thread can get interesting.

After selling at markets for nearly 20 years my stories (and frustrations) about the public at large are endless. Overall, I think the oblivious parent is my biggest pet peeve.
Great example. Just yesterday during a busy time, I see from the corner of my eye a 3-4 year old pick up a mini watermelon and honeydew from my display. While finishing my sale I watch the kid carry them far across the market to his mom. She takes them from him, tells him no, and puts them down in the other vendors winter squash display.
I'm amazed the melons weren't dropped along the way, which is what usually happens. This used to frustrate me but now with some polite firmness I just turn it into a sale.

-Mark

Did you get them back Mark? Or sell them to her?

Food handling issues are one thing - so many people don't take care in their own kitchens, why should they in open-air market. But as a parent I am just amazed that people can be so unaware of their children's whereabouts. If I couldn't hold my kids' hands (and mine are 5 years apart so it was a little easier for me), I had them confined in a stroller or even put a leash (with a big dog collar around his belly) on DS when he as a toddler. Now they sell harnesses with vests and leashes just for that. And once my kids were 5 they KNEW they'd better stick close.

Then again, my cousin nearly lost his 3-yr old. He and his wife were at a lakeshore beach with their 4 kids, no one was watching the little one. His older (7 yr old) brother saw him go under and yelled but they didn't pay attention. He grabbed the little guy (they were in fairly shallow water, lake so no undertow, I don't know how it happened) and pulled him in, THEN they noticed. Life guard was able to resuscitate him but mom and dad were mad that LIFEGUARD wasn't watching him!

My biggest pet peeve, as Sandy mentioned, is the people who choose to stand right in front of my stall and have a long chat, blocking other customers for as much as half an hour. A half hour can lose me up to $100 at peak periods of the day.

Another pet peeve: I grow mild hot peppers, including many specialty Mexican types. I advertise the fact they are mild and are for general use and hand out samples. Every day, I can count on at least one rude guy, trying to show off to his girlfriend, who complains the peppers are "not hot at all" and are nothing like habaneros/scorpions/scotch bonnets/insert show-off-pepper-name-here. Well, DUH. That's the point.

Kids at market are always fun. I usually have 1 to 5 of our kids with me at market. Some days are more interesting than other.

I did see a dog pee on a crate of green beans one time. It was covered with a gunny sack/burlap material. The vendor did pull it back from under the table. It was a very busy day, but later that day I noticed that crate again and it was almost empty. I am going with they tossed the other crate and brought out another crate, but deep down, I know they probably just sold them, Argh! Yuck!

Another annoyance it people who want to haggle on price. I rarely, if ever do. I considered it a victory one day when this man came up to me and said, "You have the best stuff, but you no haggle. I just pay and buy a little."

About melons, I had one person bought a melon and I offered to put it in a bag (personal sized melons) and they turned me down. 5 minutes later, the mom was over asking for a bag as they dropped the melon in their van and it was all over the floor. I could see it from my stand. Just had to laugh.

About cherry tomatoes, If I have lots (50 plus baskets) I notice that by the end of the day, I always have fewer in one basket, enough so that I just spread them out and sell one fewer baskets. People eating them, adding more to the one they chose, etc....

Finally I weigh most everything and I have large plastic bowls to use as "Shopping" baskets. They are zeroed out for my scales, but I still get people who don't believe me. I have had some real winners with this one.

Jay

I've learned to just wave the white flag on the purse issue. I leave an empty space on the edge of the table for that specific reason. If you don't give women a place to set their purse, they will set it on top of your produce.

And usually that purse is carefully plunked right on top of the most fragile thing on the table....

Haha! Great thread! I have all of those things going on too, so nice to know I'm not alone But honestly, it's the middle of September...I'm tired and burnt out and easily irritated!

OK, so allow 1 sf for landing zone near scale, and put jars in between bins of produce and far back from the edge. I'm learning! But I haven't carried a bag since DD was out of diapers, I'm a wallet-in-the-back pocket sort (and fanny pack for cash at market). I used to leave my purse everywhere as a teenager so I just stopped carrying one (except when I was pg/had kids in diapers - so frustrating that they don't put pockets in maternity jeans!).

I hate the price hagglers too. I actually knew that this one guy was a doctor because I took my kids to him when they were little. So I told him that I wanted a discount next time we came in too, and he laughed and paid full price.
Someone at the last market told me my tomatoes were too high because they were $2 per lb, and those people over there are selling theirs for .89 per lb (true too, but why would you do that, another pet peeve!). I told him we're all free to set our own prices, and I don't work that cheaply. he laughed and said my tomatoes were better anyway and bought 4. I think sometimes people don't realize that this is your living because the market is a recreational activity for them.

People who stop at the stand to tell me that they already bought produce at the local grocery chain OR that they grow everything we sell and do not need to buy from me. Why tell me this!???!

i guess this is a bit contrary but i find all these antics to be entertaining at an otherwise mostly boring market.

I do grow the hottest peppers in the world, so we automatically get some really strange people, but I usually end up liking them. I have a very varied hot pepper clientele from md's with phd's to a tattooed sword swallower from a sideshow. I don't like the ones that stop and ask all kinds of questions about the peppers though and then kind of self-righteously say "I don't eat any spicy foods" and then walk away, after 2 minutes worth of questions.

Here's another funny one...the customer that walks up and says really loud "I got a bad cantaloupe last week, or corn, or whatever. You start to apologize, and then they say, although more quietly, well, I didn't get it here...then why tell me? LOL you gotta love people...

I have learned to take a lot of small bills to make change for all the twenties that come in, but I had a lady give me a 50 dollar bill this week - thank goodness near the end of market and a $15.66 purchase so I was able to make change - if she had come early and bought only $2 worth she would have nearly wiped me out and I wouldn't have been able to make change for many others.

ATMs give twenties - I don't know why she came to market with just that big bill in her purse! She didn't even have coins, she told me not to bother with the 35 cents change (I don't carry pennies, just round to nearest nickel).

Of course at first she did just want $3.66 worth of tomatoes, then decided to buy a jar of jam when she saw another customer buy one, so I said I've got more of that flavor here in the truck, so you want a jar, I'll get out 2 and then she decided she wanted both.

Taking plenty of change is always a necessity. Usually I start off with $200-$300 in 10's, 5's and 1's for each marked. If the first 10 people pay with a 20 and buy less than $5 worth of stuff, I will be out of tens. As the market goes, I pull money out and stash it in the locked truck.

I have had the second customer of the day buy a 75 cent zucchini and paid with a $100. Luckily, I had over 100 in twenties in the truck.

I have been seeing more and more $50's, probably 2 or 3 a week. One person said, "the $50 is the new $20." I was just getting use to the $20 being the new $10.

Jay

I really have to say "Thanks!" for posting your stories. I will be a much better farmer's market customer from now on. I always do save up my ones and fives and change for shopping there (actually, I apologized when I only had a $20 bill two weeks ago for a $3 purchase). And I'm a cash in the front pocket of my jeans kind of person anyway. I don't do purses.

I didn't realize that a lengthy chat with a neighbor right smack in front of your booth was annoying. Guilty of that one a few times! I sure can understand it now.

So here's some questions from "the other side of the table".

Do you appreciate us (customers) bringing reusable bags? Seems like most vendors automatically grab one of theirs and I have to say "No, no, put it in here" even though I have it out and available. Maybe they think it's my purse? Then I get the big sigh as they take stuff out, throw their bag back on the pile and put it in my bag.

I try to tell vendors when I've gotten really good produce on previous trips, but I feel like they are too busy to listen. I do go early, and they can be very busy, and I don't have time to hang around to talk to them - I specialize in combat shopping; get in and get out as quickly as possible. Would leaving a Thank You note be more appreciated for when you have time for a compliment?

One of my biggest complaints is that the vendors don't always know what they are selling. I asked one what variety of garlic they were selling (I buy local garlic and replant it myself); she shrugged and said "Lady, it's GARLIC." Needless to say, I don't go to that stand anymore.

P.S. I'm hanging out here a bit as DH is retired and we are toying with the idea of having a specialty stand of our own for alliums - onions, shallots and garlic. Someday...maybe.

Wow, Jay, I wouldn't have been able to give $99.25 change that early in market - some weeks not at all. I carry less than $100 in small bills b/c I don't do that much business.

Malna - thanks for taking our rants as constructive criticism ;-) - not that you do ANY of those things! But to answer your questions (IMPO):

I really have to say "Thanks!" for posting your stories. I will be a much better farmer's market customer from now on. I always do save up my ones and fives and change for shopping there (actually, I apologized when I only had a $20 bill two weeks ago for a $3 purchase). And I'm a cash in the front pocket of my jeans kind of person anyway. I don't do purses.

Not a problem unless *every* customer does it. It's hard to plan on how much change to bring, but I really do appreciate exact (or close to) change.

I didn't realize that a lengthy chat with a neighbor right smack in front of your booth was annoying. Guilty of that one a few times! I sure can understand it now.

Thanks - most markets have open space in the middle, or even if set up in a (g)alley sort of configuration, leaving 4-5ft between your group and the front of the stall so people can walk between you and the stall, and see what we have, is appreciated.

So here's some questions from "the other side of the table".

Do you appreciate us (customers) bringing reusable bags? Seems like most vendors automatically grab one of theirs and I have to say "No, no, put it in here" even though I have it out and available. Maybe they think it's my purse? Then I get the big sigh as they take stuff out, throw their bag back on the pile and put it in my bag.

I love reusable bags to put all the purchases in (I have to buy more plastic T shirt bags - didn't see any at BJs this week). But I do like to use paper lunch bags for jars or tomatoes, plastic produce bags for beans, etc., then you can put them in your bag. As long as you don't set it down on top of my tomatoes or knock my display over ;-)! I don't wash anything (just hydrocool greens and those are bagged) so you have to wash before eating, but I don't want anything getting broken or squished (or beans or cherry tomatoes getting lost in the corners of your bag). I figure it's a courtesy to offer you a bag (and really a necessity when I'm selling cherry tomatoes or beans by the pound, so I can weigh them without them rolling off the scale) but I won't push it. Plus do you wash your reusable bag in between shopping trips?

If someone is struggling with purchases from multiple vendors, I'll offer them a large bag - I've even given plastic produce bags to people who have bought cut flowers from other vendors, so they don't drip all over their car.

I try to tell vendors when I've gotten really good produce on previous trips, but I feel like they are too busy to listen. I do go early, and they can be very busy, and I don't have time to hang around to talk to them - I specialize in combat shopping; get in and get out as quickly as possible. Would leaving a Thank You note be more appreciated for when you have time for a compliment?

I love compliments! A quick compliment (preferably as you're buying something this week, and loud enough for others to hear) is always appreciated! So is a good review or comment on my Facebook page.

One of my biggest complaints is that the vendors don't always know what they are selling. I asked one what variety of garlic they were selling (I buy local garlic and replant it myself); she shrugged and said "Lady, it's GARLIC." Needless to say, I don't go to that stand anymore.

I know all my produce - esp. tomatoes. I may not have tasted a particular variety, if it's my first time growing it, I have limited supply, it's early in the season, it's a large beefsteak, etc. But I can at least describe what the seed catalog said about it. I haven't tasted Golden Queen, Orange Minsk, or Mark Twain yet, b/c I haven't harvested many this year, but I will tell you what I've read about them. I'll also tell you if a particular tomato is ripe, needs a couple days on the counter, or will last a week until the next market and help you pick out individual heirlooms to eat throughout the week, to serve the number of people you plan on.

I had 1 lady buy just 1 of each type of cherry tomato I have this year so she could try them. She asked if I'd have them next week and I told her yes - she wants to stuff them. So I recommended Dr. Carolyn in particular b/c it's large, blocky, and solid - if/when she comes back next week I may have her look at my "salad" tomatoes such as Camp Joy, Bloody Butcher, and Moravsky Div if she wants to make them a little larger.

I am always willing to chat with people (esp. about tomatoes) as long as I'm not busy. If we're chatting and someone comes up, I will excuse myself to wait on them, and hope you will move to the side and wait to finish our conversation, or tell me Thank You and See You Next Week.

This post was edited by ajsmama on Fri, Sep 12, 14 at 15:19

ajsmama, thanks for the input. I worked retail for a lot of years (back when I had a real job) and know how difficult it is. I would tell my family stories about how people acted (this was 25-30 years ago and I can only assume it's gotten a lot worse since then) and they flat didn't believe me. They told me I should write a book - my response "You just told me nobody would believe it!"

My DH has a saying "If I have the right to complain about bad service, then I have the obligation to commend good service." We try to live by that.

Sorry - I couldn't resist getting way OT here :-)

Yes, I like it when customers bring their own bags. About half of mine do.

Yes, it's great to hear from a customer. Please don't think because we are complaining here, that we don't appreciate our customers. I really do, at least! It's just a few people that are crazy, or don't pay attention to their kids, or just don't care.

Many vendors don't know about the produce they sell because they don't grow it, they're just sales people hired by the farm.
Here on the west coast most large farms, organic or not, selling at farmers markets do this. They have mostly latinos working at the farm and they hire cool, hipster white kids to sell at the markets. Often these people have never been on a farm and don't even know a thing about veggies.

I wandered over to the stall of a farmer whose farm is 4 miles from me. An older lady employee of his was there, they had nectarines so I asked b/c I knew he grew apples - she said he'd taken the nectarines in trade for some maple syrup. Anyway, she told me "We even have lemon trees"! I said no, not unless he had 1 in the house (his GH collapsed in Feb 2013 storm). She said "Well, I've seen these yellow things on the trees in the orchard". I told her they had to be apples or if they were fuzzy they were quinces.

I know this guy is good, he had decent-sized tomatoes (not just Juliets) before I did this year and if anything his place gets colder. But not good enough to grow lemons in the foothills of the Berkshires!

I take twenties as a complement....means they came to my booth first! I bring $120 in change every time and most of the time it's enough.

I love it when people bring their own bags. Saving the universe and me a few pennies all at the same time! Reaching for a bag is just automatic for me, but I'm happy to save it for the next customer.

I love it when people tell me what they cooked and that they love my vegetables. I consider the appreciation a big part of the compensation for my work.

If you are wondering if the person selling the produce is the actual grower, look at their hands. Farmer hands are pretty knarly and never really look clean during the growing season.

Well, I hope my hands are clean, I wash them when I come in the house and try to take a shower before market. But the broken nails are a tip-off, and if I'm wearing a T-shirt (might be too cold this week have the typical "farmer's tan!"

I love it when people tell me how good my jam (this week it was apple butter someone bought on Sat and came to market on Wed) or tomatoes or whatever was. I saw a couple who had bought some tomatoes last week, hailed them down, asked how they were and the woman started raving about the Orange Minsk. I didn't have any this week, so I gave her a small Golden Queen that was catfaced and told her to try that, she bought a jar of marmalade (I gave her a discount on that too) and a Brandywine. We chatted for quite a while - I told them I was always glad to find kindred spirits when it came to tomatoes!